site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Naval Research/Survey Vessel to Monitor Marine Pollution in June, Says Admiral Mednikarov

The Bulgarian naval research/survey vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) will carry out two seawater monitoring missions in the Black Sea in June 2026, said Flotilla Admiral Boyan Mednikarov (Ret.), former Rector of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna. He was speaking at a forum on "Bulgarian Tourism – Summer 2026", organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and held at the Sts. Constantine and Helena Resort (on the Black Sea). 

Mednikarov said that this year, too, every possible effort would be made to detect even the smallest problems.

He recalled the situation on June 6, 2023, when the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was breached, causing extensive pollution in the Gulf of Odesa. He specified that there had been a significant risk of the pollution moving southward along the Romanian coast and eventually reaching Bulgarian waters. 

"We identified the problem immediately and informed the government, after which the appropriate arrangements were made," Mednikarov said. He explained that the Naval Academy then activated its remote sensing centre, performing analyses whenever a satellite capable of providing imagery from Odesa passed overhead in order to calculate the movement of the potential pollution.

"What happened? Perhaps God was Bulgarian once again. The Naval Academy had no real contribution in this case, but there was a very heavy rainfall in the Danube River basin, which sharply raised the river's level and created a barrier that kept the pollution in the Gulf of Odesa for between seven and ten days and pushed it eastward," Mednikarov added.

He also noted that RSV 421 had played a major role at the time, with two monitoring missions conducted along Bulgaria's northern and eastern Black Sea coasts to test water quality.

Flotilla Admiral Kalin Kalinov, Rector of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, said that over the years the forum has established itself as a significant platform for dialogue, partnership and exchange of ideas among institutions, representatives of the tourism sector, businesses and the media.

Addressing Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev, Kalinov said: "Thanks to your consistent commitment and professionalism, BTA continues to fulfil its important public mission – to serve as a bridge between society, the regions and the national priorities, among which tourism is assuming an increasingly important place."

"We are convinced that this year's edition of the forum will also contribute to promoting Bulgaria as an attractive tourist destination, encourage the sustainable development of the sector, and create new opportunities for cooperation and investment," Kalinov said.