site.btaRSV 421 Passes by Recife's Shores

In the evening hours of the 29th day of its journey to Antarctica, the Bulgarian military research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421) continues its south-southwesterly course in the South Atlantic towards the port of Mar del Plata in Argentina.

RSV 421 is at around 110 nautical miles East of Brazil's shores and traversed past the port city of Recife. The ship has less than 830 miles from the turning point, located East of another Brazilian port city – Vitoria, where it will assume its new course towards Mar del Plata, assistant watch officer, Officer Designate Andrey Petrov told BTA. 

The ship is maintaining its course at a speed of around 9 knots in good weather conditions with winds of 5 m/s, sea waves of 3 degrees Douglas and visibility of 10 nautical miles. 

RSV 421 is sailing towards its second stop on the way to Livingston Island – Mar del Plata, in Argentina. The ship is expected to arrive there in the beginning of February. It will be boarded by scientists from the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, headed by Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, as well as scientists from Spain's polar programme. 

Bulgaria and Spain recently marked the 30th anniversary of bilateral Antarctic cooperation. The two countries' bases on Livingston Island are only several kilometers apart and through the years the close cooperation between the members of the two expeditions has evolved into a warm camaraderie. Over the years, Bulgarian researchers most often reached the Bulgarian research station aboard the Spanish ship Hesperides. 

This year, NAVAL RSV 421 is carrying supplies not only for the Sv. Kliment Ohridski Antarctic Base but also for Spain's Juan Carlos I Station on Livingston Island and Gabriel de Castilla on Deception Island, thus further strengthening the friendship between the two Antarctic research programmes.

BTA's Daily News editor Konstantin Karagyozov is the only member of the media who is travelling on board the ship to Livingston Island and back, and will cover the Bulgarian expedition on site throughout the stay in Antarctica.

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