The Bulgarian Antarctic Base Will Receive New Telescopic Handler

Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” is to receive a new Manitou telescopic handler as a donation for the Bulgarian Antarctic programme. The machine is being donated by Assarel-Medet AD.

The donation for the Bulgarian Antarctic base “St Kliment Ohridski” on Livingston Island will be formally handed over at a showroom in Sofia’s Pancharevo district on 17 September.

On Sofia Day, Assarel-Medet Supervisory Board Chairman Dimitar Tsotsorkov will hand the keys to the modern machine, supplied by Euromarket Construction, to Prof Christo Pimpirev, director of the National Centre for Polar Studies at Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”.

The machine has been specially equipped and adapted for work in the harsh conditions of Antarctica and will support the logistical and construction activities of Bulgarian polar researchers. It is the second multifunctional Manitou machine that the Panagyurishte-based company has provided for the Bulgarian base on the Ice Continent, the statement said. The first was donated in 2014 and, according to Prof Christo Pimpirev, it brought Bulgarian polar researchers “into the 21st century”. Twelve years later, the company’s support for Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions continues to develop. The company has been a partner of Bulgarian polar researchers since 1995, the statement recalled.