Russian Ghost Ship Reappears Off Ireland
Abandoned and drifting Russian cruise ship, the Lyubov Orlova, has been spotted again off Ireland’s western coast.
The vessel has no crew or warning lights and has been aimlessly drifting for about two months now. Maritime authorities were unaware of its location up until now.
The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency reported that the ghost ship was located roughly 1,300 nautical miles from the Irish coast. According to www.news24.com, the Lyubov Orlova’s whereabouts were listed in a "Daily Memorandum Atlantic Edition," a maritime update put out by the intelligence agency, which analyzes satellite imagery and creates detailed maps for the US government.
The old passenger vessel departed Canada on January 23rd for a Dominican scrap yard, but two separate tow attempts were unsuccessful – mainly due to extreme weather conditions. This resulted in the ship drifting in international waters.
Transport Canada has stated that the ship is no longer its concern, as the vessel had left the country's waters. Many say the owner should be held responsible for its movements. Earlier this week, Canadian officials confirmed that they were not clear on the location of the ship since the vessel's global positioning system (GPS) was no longer working.
Again, the derelict vessel is slowly heading towards Europe, having drifted over 400 nautical miles toward the European coastline.
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