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  1. #1
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    MV Lyubov Orlova

    MV Lyubov Orlova
    Ada Withnall
    24 January 2014

    Russian ghost ship full of cannibal rats is adrift in the Atlantic and could be heading towards the UK and Ireland

    The Lyubov Orlova, an unmanned cruise liner, has been drifting across the north Atlantic for the better part of a year, and salvage hunters say there is a strong chance it is heading towards the UK and Ireland.


    Lyubow Orlowa seen from Petermann Island. Experts say the cruise liner, adrift in the north Atlantic, may be heading to the UK.

    Photo: Lilpop, Rau & Loewenstein

    The Lyubov Orlova, an unmanned cruise liner, has been drifting across the north Atlantic for the better part of a year, and salvage hunters say there is a strong chance it is heading towards the UK and Ireland.

    Built in Yugoslavia in 1976, the unlucky vessel was abandoned in a Canadian harbour after its owners were embroiled in a debt scandal and failed to pay the crew.

    The authorities in Newfoundland tried to sell the hull for scrap – valued at £600,000 – to the Dominican Republic, but cut their losses when it came loose in a storm on the way.

    Sending the ship off into international waters, Transport Canada said it was satisfied the Lyubov Orlova “no longer poses a threat to the safety of [Canadian] offshore oil installations, their personnel or the marine environment”.

    Experts say the ship, which is likely to still contain hundreds of rats that have been eating each other to survive, must still be out there somewhere because not all of its lifeboat emergency beacons have been set off.

    Two signals were picked up on the 12 and 23 March last year, presumably from lifeboats which fell away and hit the water, showing the vessel had made it two-thirds of the way across the Atlantic and was heading east.

    A week later, an unidentified object of about the right size was spotted on radar just off the coast of Scotland – but search planes never verified the find.

    Pim de Rhoodes, a Belgian salvage hunter who is among a number looking for the Lyubov Orlova off the UK coastline, said: “She is floating around out there somewhere.

    “There will be a lot of rats and they eat each other. If I get aboard I'll have to lace everywhere with poison.”

    The head of the Irish coastguard, Chris Reynolds, said the ship was more likely than not to still pose a threat.

    “There have been huge storms in recent months but it takes a lot to sink a vessel as big as that,” he said.

    “We must stay vigilant.”

    belfasttelegraph.co.uk

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat prawnograph's Avatar
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    an alternative view

    as Captain Redbeard Rum* would say "Opinion is divided on the subject"


    Don't worry – a ghost ship crewed by cannibal rats probably isn't about to hit the British Isles
    Irish coastguard believes that 4,000 tonne Lyubov Orlova - not heard of since early last year - has most likely sunk or hit rocks

    theguardian.com, Friday 24 January 2014 12.35 GMT

    A ghost ship, crewed by cannibal rats, is reported to be heading towards the British Isles. Really? Well, the mystery of the Lyubov Orlova cruise liner has become a news story that has been circulating online and splashed in newspapers.

    Just imagine it: a shadowy vessel silently docking in the dark of night, while cat-sized killer pirate rodents descend and scurry around our cities, brandishing their fangs ready to gnaw at your bones – yes it's the stuff of nightmares. And with each new headline the rats have become bigger and bigger, so to speak.

    We relish the opportunity to tell a good ghost story, don't we? But is it true?

    Chris Reynolds, director of the Irish coast guard, chuckles and says, "The problem you have now is that you can't prove something you don't know."

    Reynolds explains that the Irish coast guards were alerted about the possibility of an abandoned ship heading their way and that in March 2013 the emergency beacons were alerted, which sent a signal to the coast guards. To repeat: that was early last year.

    "We had a three-month drift prediction project using satellites and radar images trying to locate the ship, and did some modelling which showed that it could be heading to Norway or the south of England. But the ship had its transmitting monitors turned off. So you can't be 100% sure. We couldn't find it and there was no value to keep on searching. But we have to keep vigilant."

    So, this seems to be the only bit of evidence that the ship is on its way? Right. Also, with storms in the Atlantic, Reynolds now explains that he expects and hopes that the ship has sunk or has been pushed back onto rocks.

    If that's not enough, a spokesperson for the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "We have received no reported sightings of the vessel since April last year, but we will respond accordingly." Ok, so that's sorted.

    So where did this whole story come from anyway?

    Well, it is first mentioned last year in the Irish Independent, when Reynolds is quoted to have said: "The ship was alongside the harbour in Newfoundland so we assume there are rats on board, and that's a biohazard," adding: "we don't want rats from foreign ships coming onto Irish soil. If it came and broke up on shore, I'm sure local people wouldn't be very happy about it."

    So, there you have it, how a single source can lead to a story going viral.

    __________________

    *Blackadder 'Potato': Rum (Tom Baker) is insane, legless, and has no navigation skills whatsoever. Unlike the average seafarer, Rum actually seems to prefer drinking his own urine to water. Percy notes that Rum began doing so before the water ran out.

  3. #3
    Lord of Swine
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    Rates eat out the food supply
    Rats turn cannibalistic.
    Rats eat each other until only one very large fat rat is left.
    It starves to death.

    Keep calm.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat klong toey's Avatar
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    I would be more worried about all the asbestos on board.
    Make's the ship nearly worthless for a salvager.
    Last edited by klong toey; 25-01-2014 at 04:52 PM.

  5. #5
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    Not very responsible from the canuks. "Not our problem..." - can't the Americans use it for shooting practice?

  6. #6
    Lord of Swine
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    Quote Originally Posted by klong toey View Post
    I would be more worried about all the asbestos on board.
    Make the ship nearly worthless for a salvager.

    I don't think OH&S is high on their agenda in the breakup yards.......









  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Necron99

    I don't think OH&S is high on their agenda in the breakup yards.......
    definately not

    more here :

    https://teakdoor.com/world-news/66955-ship-breaking.html (Ship-breaking)

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat klong toey's Avatar
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    Well lets hope it drifts over to Bangladesh,don't reckon anyone will tow it there.

  9. #9
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    Blackadder 'Potato': Rum (Tom Baker) is insane, legless, and has no navigation skills whatsoever. Unlike the average seafarer, Rum actually seems to prefer drinking his own urine to water.

    Percy notes that Rum began doing so before the water ran out.


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