site.btaUPDATED Research Vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii Arrives at Varna Naval Station

Bulgaria's naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril I Metodii returned home after a successful third mission to Antarctica. The ship docked at the Varna Naval Station and was welcomed with a military ritual. 

Among those present at the ceremony were Varna Regional Governor Andriyana Andreeva, Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, Bulgarian Antarctic Institute President Prof. Christo Pimpirev, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, Flotilla Admiral Kalin Kalinov, head of the Naval Academy, Captain Nikolay Danailov, Sofia University Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. Many relatives and friends of the seamen also attended.

A congratulatory address on behalf of President Rumen Radev was read by Vice Admiral Mitko Petev, Adviser to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Bulgaria on Military Security. “I greet you with a sense of national pride on the occasion of the return of the military research vessel and the successful completion of the 33rd Bulgarian Antarctic expedition,” the congratulatory address said. In the President's words, today is proof that hard work and professionalism are the keys to success, not chance.

Thanks to the diligence and dedication of Bulgarian sailors and researchers, as well as the joint efforts of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and the Naval Academy, the reputation of Bulgaria as a leading country in the exploration of Antarctica has been upheld worthily,” the congratulatory address said.

RSV 421 set sail on its third expedition to Antarctica on November 7 last year. This time it was equipped with a space laboratory on board. The commander of the ship is Radko Muevski. The vessel carried the equipment for the new laboratory of the Bulgarian scientists, which was officially opened in February.