The 29^th Bulgarian expedition to Antarctica has been postponed a day before the planned departure of the polar explorers. Six Bulgarian scientists were supposed to leave for the icy continent, and more precisely Livingston Island, where the Bulgarian Antarctic base is located, on January 12. Due to the severe restrictions related to the global spread of Covid-19, the Bulgarian researchers were expected to undergo a 14-day quarantine in Chile and head to Antarctica afterwards. The voyage from Chile to their final destination was to take place aboard the Spanish research ship Hesperides, with which the Spanish polar explorers, whose Antarctic base is adjacent to the Bulgarian one, were also to travel to Antarctica. Due to unforeseen circumstances though, everything has been postponed in the last moment.

Radio Bulgaria has contacted the leader of the Bulgarian Antarctic expedition, Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, for more details:

"The expedition gets cancelled because the departure of the first group has been postponed. It was scheduled to leave tomorrow but yesterday (January 10) I was informed by the logistics manager, Miguel Ojeda, from Spain that 30 people infected with the coronavirus have been identified onboard the Hesperides, the ship which our polar explorers had to board in Punta Arenas in order to reach Antarctica. This is an absolute enigma for me and for everyone, because before boarding the ship they had gone through a 14-day quarantine. Fifty people boarded the ship with a negative PCR test, and a few days after the ship left the Spanish port of Cartagena for the Atlantic Ocean, several persons tested positive for coronavirus. And it turns out that there are many more. For this reason, the ship is currently in quarantine in the city of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and will eventually leave in 2 weeks, i.e. after the crew quarantine has passed. So our polar explorers will not be able to travel tomorrow, because they also have to go through a two-week quarantine in Punta Arenas and board the ship immediately, but the ship will not be there. So we are now waiting!”

How will the situation affect the work program of the Bulgaria expedition to the Frozen Continent?

"This mind-boggling year, which changed the whole stereotype and way of life, will have a significant impact on Antarctic research. And not only Bulgarian research, but in general! As for the Spaniards who have two polar bases, their schedule has been completely changed. But they can maneuver because they have two research ships and one has almost reached Antarctica. We, on the other hand, need to rely on someone's help and have someone take us on their ship. We are currently looking for a way to travel from Chile to Argentina and Uruguay, because the Spanish ship Hesperides may return to Spain and not sail to Antarctica at all. That is why we need to have backup options,” Prof. Pimpirev explains.

The Bulgarian camp on Livingston Island

This is the second postponement of the 29^th Bulgarian expedition to the icy continent. At the end of 2020, the coronavirus spread to Antarctica as well. During testing at the Chilean base at Christmas, 36 people infected with Covid-19 were identified. The urgent evacuation of part of the staff and even more serious tightening of the pandemic measures on the continent was undertaken. The Bulgarian scientists were supposed to leave for Livingston Island in November, but their expedition was postponed.

English Rossitsa Petcova