Sofia, July 26 (BTA) - Bulgarian Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova has agreed to christen Bulgaria's first military research ship, the Ss. Cyril and Methodius, said the Naval Academy in the coastal city of Varna. Bakalova visited the Naval Academy on Monday.

The Ss. Cyril and Methodius is owned by a consortium including the Bulgarian Antarctic base, the Naval Academy, the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute.

The famous actress steered a ship on a simulator under the guidance of the Naval Academy Director Admiral Prof. Boyan Mednikarov and flew a drone in the academy campus. Bakalova was also shown round the academy centre for cyberoperations, ship engines and energy systems.

The ceremony for christening the Ss. Cyril and Methodius ship will be held on July 27.

Bakalova gained world renown with her role in the 2020 film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Her performance in the mockumentary won her the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress and nomination for an Academy Award , the BAFTA Film Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. LN