Posted on 03/13/2013 2:06:14 PM PDT by Doogle
A Russian cruise ship with only rats aboard is floating aimlessly in the North Atlantic, hundreds of miles off the coast of Newfoundland after breaking loose from a tugboat.
The MV Lyubov Orlova — named after an iconic Russian film actress — was being towed to a scrapyard in the Dominican Republic when a cable snapped, leaving the 295-foot vessel adrift. A brief effort to re-secure the boat was abandoned days later due to rough seas. As of Tuesday, the ship was roughly 760 miles off the coast of Newfoundland and 1,125 miles from Ireland, a U.S. intelligence agency told FoxNews.com.
“We continue to receive information about the ship’s location, and will issue message when needed to facilitate safe navigation,” Christine Phillips, a spokeswoman for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
pingski
So,,,, If somebody goes and gets it, and drags it to salvage, is it theirs?
naval bombing practice?
guess so
I dunno. There’s something not right about this story. Color me skeptical.
Everyone knows who has ever seen the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits or such show there is no such thing as an abandoned ship drifting at sea.
They better be careful or they too will disappear.....just saying.
A ship adrift aimlessly on the high seas? They should rename it the “SS Obama”.
” They should rename it the “SS Obama” “
It’s a commie ship to boot.
Is this another democrat junket?
Dina Spector
February 23, 2013, 3:47 PM
The Lyubovy Orlova, seen from the Antarctic Peninsula, during happier times
A Russian cruise ship has been adrift in the North Atlantic since January, after breaking free from a towing line as it was being delivered from Canada to a scrapyard in the Dominican Republic.
The Lyubov Orlova, built in 1976, once operated as a cruise ship, exploring the icy waters of Antarctica. In 2010, she was seized at St. John's harbor in Newfoundland following a suit by a haulage contractor against the Russian owners over $250,000 in unpaid fees. The ship remained tied up for more than two years before it was sold to Caribbean buyers in February 2012.
On Jan. 23 of this year, the derelict ship left Canada for the Dominican Republic to be scrapped, but its towing cable snapped a day later. The ship escaped again after it was secured by a supply vessel on Jan. 31. It then drifted into international waters.
Transport Canada claims they are no longer responsible for the ship and that there's little chance of it drifting back under Canadian jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, according to a document from a US intelligence agency, obtained by the AFP, the abandoned ship was recently seen about 1,300 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland, and is drifting toward Europe.
"Earlier this week, Canadian officials acknowledged they did not know the location of the ship, as the vessel's global positioning system was no longer working," the AFP writes.
Irish authorities are looking over satellite data to try and locate the loose vessel since there's some concern that the ghost ship, apparently infested with rats, could hit Ireland's shore. If that did happen, the government would likely "take the ship, bring it into a port and maybe look for compensation from the owner for any costs associated with that,” maritime lawyer William Cahill told The National Post's Tristin Hopper
I won,der if you could salvage it under Admirality laws. Anyone out there know. Also it is going to be rougher that H*ll out there right now. It would be fun boarding her from a small boat. Lets say she displaces 30,000 tons and scrap is .20/pound, you could retire for life anywhere you wanted. If a sea going tug was $10K/day you could reach it in three days at 8 to 10 kns. I wonder who is going after her?
A 295 ‘ cruise liner...
That smaller than a football field. ...
30 years was case of MV CLOUD
It was hauling artillery ammunition for the Nigerian army from Varna Bulgaria to Nigeria when electrical fire broke out in engine room
Crew thinking ship was about to expode abandoned vessel
Were picked up by Panamian freighter
CLOUD did not sink, fire burned out with only minor damage
Ship continued to drift across the Atlantic until sighted off coast of South America by Venezuelan ship
Captain after not recieving replies to hail sent over boarding party. Discovered ammunition and thought had stumbled into gun runners. Radioed Venezuelan govt for help
Venezuela sent squad of Marines - who parachuted into ocean
to be picked up by boat and sent over to Cloud until ship reached port
It does happen
Then there is case of MARY CLESTE in 1880........
didn't know the DR had a breakers facility... commence fire!
Yes, along with all the costs for doing so. How much would it cost to tow a ship across half of the Atlantic ocean, at latitudes of Newfoundland and Ireland, in March? Where would you deliver it to? Will you be allowed to bring this ship into a port if the ship had no inspections or service in two years and is a biohazard? How much will it cost you to do the cleanup? How much do you expect to earn on selling its metal? The nearest steel mills are in China, on the other side of the planet.
The owner of the ship (someone in Dominican Republic) is in no hurry to mount a rescue. He probably will be better off collecting insurance. The ship was probably sold for peanuts, as it had no value or purpose to its original owner.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.