Ghost ship piloted by cannibal rats headed for Ireland

[Syferus]

A ghost ship full of cannibalistic rats may be headed towards Irish shorelines. The unmanned 1,600-tonne MV Lyubov Orlova has been drifting in the Atlantic with no crew or tracking beacon for nearly a year.

Originally a cruise-liner designed to take holidaymakers on tours around the Arctic, the Russian-registered cruise ship was cut adrift while being towed from Canada in February 2013.

The 40-year-old cruise liner, which was built in the former Yugoslavia and named after a 1930s Russian actress, was accidentally lost en route to the Dominican Republic after the tow line between the ship and an American-owned tug broke. According to reports, 50km/h winds prevented the crew from reconnecting the ships, and the Orlova was left to drift out into the ocean.

The Irish Coast Guard claims Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has "not been sufficiently advised" of the full consequences of reorganisation proposals.

Coastguards, satellite providers and a team of Dutch salvage hunters have spent the last 12 months trying to track down the ship. Maritime law dictates that if you discover a derelict vessel, you are entitled to claim ownership and the owner must pay a release fee. However, despite their best efforts, neither satellite technology nor scuba-diving adventurers have been able to track down the 100-metre long cruise liner, which boasts a restaurant and a gym.

The Irish Coast Guard has been leading the search for the Orlova since it went adrift last year. "We haven't seen it," said Chris Reynolds, Director of the Irish Coast Guard. "We spent a couple of months using satellite radar technology to look at the areas it might be but we couldn't find the Orlova."

However, recent winter storms may have driven the ship towards Irish and UK shores. Some reports suggest the rats may be left with nothing to eat but each other.

However, Mr Reynolds has said large numbers of rats on a derelict ship is quite normal. "It was empty for a year in Newfoundland, so it wouldn't be at all unusual for there to be lots of rats," he said. "You get rats in all vessels and there's ways of dealing with them."

Mr Reynolds believes that strong hurricane-force weather may have actually sunk the ship. "Our model says that if it is still there it will turn up somewhere around Achill Island," said Mr Reynolds, "but really it could turn up anywhere between Iceland and Portugal. "

"The biggest risk is something hitting it at speed in the dark," he added. The Irish Coast Guard has called off the search but says it will remain "vigilant".

The missing sea liner has developed quite a following over the last year with a blog and Twitter account dedicated to the search for the Orlova. @LyubovOrlovaNL tweeted on Thursday night: "Is okay now, rats have found lettuce to eat. But having rats that live for full year in empty boat without freezing still leetle problem."

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/rat-infested-russian-ghost-ship-drifts-towards-irish-coast-1.1666881

Qué?

[blanketattack]

Nobody knows where the ship is.
Nobody knows where the ship is heading.
Nobody knows if its afloat or not.
From this information the Irish Times produce a headline saying that the ship is "heading our way"

[Syferus]

Nobody knows where the ship is.
Nobody knows where the ship is heading.
Nobody knows if its afloat or not.
From this information the Irish Times produce a headline saying that the ship is "heading our way"

You won't be so cheeky when the cannibal rats take over the country.

[Tony Baloney]

Nobody knows where the ship is.
Nobody knows where the ship is heading.
Nobody knows if its afloat or not.
From this information the Irish Times produce a headline saying that the ship is "heading our way"

Somewhere between Iceland and Portugal!  A distance of about 1500 miles!

[sans pessimism]

Nobody knows where the ship is.
Nobody knows where the ship is heading.
Nobody knows if its afloat or not.
From this information the Irish Times produce a headline saying that the ship is "heading our way"

Somewhere between Iceland and Portugal!  A distance of about 1500 miles!

I smell a rat

[seafoid]

Fox news reporting that Alex Ferguson has been seen jumping off the ship which is taking in water.  MV Theatre of Dreams is apparently the real name of the ship.

[lawnseed]

If we could get rid of the rats it would do my floating hoorhouse casino idea

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

A planned Fianna Fail invasion perhaps.

[Orior]

Is the only item of the ship menu ratatouille?

[Bingo]

If its going to land it will probably land somewhere like Galway bay at the height of summer, the gov will set up a committee to oversee what to do, they'll hire a team of consultants and €20m later they'll decide to pay someone to take it away and they'll make €5m having been paid another €2m to take it off our hands.

Following the scandal that will emerge on the costs wasted, the public accounts committee will set up a tribunal costing €15m that will recommend a new maritime dept be set up and blame no one.

The rats will stay for a week and get on the next shop outa town.

[lawnseed]

If its going to land it will probably land somewhere like Galway bay at the height of summer, the gov will set up a committee to oversee what to do, they'll hire a team of consultants and €20m later they'll decide to pay someone to take it away and they'll make €5m having been paid another €2m to take it off our hands.

Following the scandal that will emerge on the costs wasted, the public accounts committee will set up a tribunal costing €15m that will recommend a new maritime dept be set up and blame no one.

The rats will stay for a week and get on the next shop outa town.

that's near enough I'd say

[lawnseed]

Panics off. Shes heading for scotland. No need to worry about housing or getting the rats benefits etc.. Scots coastguard are on high alert for the ghost ship according to the scotish news.
How do they not know where this boat is? I wouldnt like to fall overboard not much chance of being found when they cant find a big ship

[muppet]

Panics off. Shes heading for scotland. No need to worry about housing or getting the rats benefits etc.. Scots coastguard are on high alert for the ghost ship according to the scotish news.
How do they not know where this boat is? I wouldnt like to fall overboard not much chance of being found when they cant find a big ship

How often do you cross the Atlantic by ship Lawnseed?

[lawnseed]

My plane could crash..  They'd find me with my arms wrapped round the black box

[seafoid]

It's quite a good metaphor for the Eurozone leadership