YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS/BTA. The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) returned to Varna from the 32nd expedition to Antarctica on Wednesday.

The ship was welcomed with an official ceremony that was attended by the head of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, Flotilla Admiral Boyan Mednikarov, the head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute Prof. Christo Pimpirev, Regional Governor Andriyana Andreeva, Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and BTA Director General Kiril Valchev.

The RSV 421 crew is back in very good condition, said Commanding Officer Nikolay Danailov. "The ship is also in very good condition and could only use minor repairs which can be done locally," he said. 

The 32nd expedition was some 30 days longer than the previous one. "Work in the operational zone below the 55th parallel also took longer but the important thing is that we delivered to a bare coast supplies for the new lab at the Bulgarian base on Livingston Island," he added.

He remembers several spells of bad weather during the voyage, including as it crossed the Drake Passage, in the bay of Baia Grande off the cost of Argentina, then near Sicily on the way back. He said that the storm in the Mediterranean was an essential part of the training of 24 cadets who were on board the ship at the time.

Asked whether he is ready for the next expedition, Danailov said he is, if the leadership trust him with it. He said all crew members would happily participate in another voyage to Antarctica.

The crew of RSV 421 "convincingly over-accomplished its tasks", Naval Academy Rector Prof. Boyan Mednikarov told BTA shortly before the ship cast anchor at Varna Port. "RSV 421 proved that Bulgaria has the capacity to perform scientific research in the Antarctic conditions. All projects were completed successfully. In addition to the tasks that were assigned to the ship, it also provided support for a Spanish geographic expedition," Prof. Mednikarov said.

(This information is being published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA.)