The Bulgarian research ship Saints Cyril and Methodius should set sail for the Bulgarian base in Antarctica by the end of 2022.

Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, director of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and leader of the Bulgarian Antarctic expedition, and Admiral Boyan Mednikarov, Rector of the Naval academy in Varna requested that the parliamentary transport committee allocate EUR 2 million from the state budget for 2022 for this mission. EUR 1.5 million is needed to commission the ship fully, the rest is for the Polar programme. New crew members are currently being recruited, mostly among the cadets from the naval school. The 40-year old ship is in need of repairs. 

Prof. Pimpirev explained that the research programme is important to the country’s presence in Antarctica.