Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17th, at 12:20, at Terminal 2 of Sofia Airport “Vasil Levski”, with a flight from Rome, Bulgarian Antarctic scientists are returning after their participation in the 34th National Antarctic Expedition. This is announced by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI). 

The head of the expedition and of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute - Prof. D.Sc. Hristo Pimpirev, biotechnologist Kiril Kandilarov, writer Vasil Popov and journalist Zhivko Konstantinov are returning to Bulgaria tomorrow.

The Bulgarian research vessel “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” (NIC 421) set sail for the Ice Continent on November 7th from Varna. The vessel arrived at the military base of the Argentinian city of Mar del Plata on December 13th, 2025, after a month-long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

BTA has a national press club on board NIC 421 since 2022. In February 2024, the national information agency of Bulgaria opened one in the Bulgarian Antarctic base “St. Kliment Ohridski” on Livingston Island. BTA's General Director Kiril Valchev announced before the fourth voyage to Antarctica of NIC 421 on November 7th last year that the national news agency would send its special correspondent in January-February 2026.

The press clubs exist thanks to the gratuitous support of the Bulgarian research vessel “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” and the Bulgarian base “St. Kliment Ohridski” with the provided premises, which are added to the other 41 national press clubs (33 in Bulgaria, seven abroad in neighboring countries and in countries with large Bulgarian communities and one mobile National Press Club of the Book), Valchev emphasized then.