The first Bulgarian military scientific research ship will start its sail from Varna to Antarctica on December 27th - St. Stephen's Day, the head of the 31st expedition to Antarctica, Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, said at a press conference. He pointed out that this way Bulgaria will prove to the world that it is a maritime nation.

Commander of the vessel is captain second rank Nikolay Danailov. He said the crew consisted of 26 people, including three cadets from the Naval Academy. Over 50 tons of cargo will be transported to Livingston Island. Sailing to the Bulgarian base on the island and back will take 4 months.