Author Topic: 'Ghost ship' of cannibal rats headed for UK?  (Read 4600 times)

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Offline Maik

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'Ghost ship' of cannibal rats headed for UK?
« on: Thursday, 23 January, 2014 @ 15:39:01 »
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Mystery of the Lyubov Orlova: Ghost ship full of cannibal rats ‘could be heading for British coast’

A ghost ship carrying nothing but disease-ridden rats could be about to make land on Britain’s shore, experts have warned.

The infamous Lyubov Orlova 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 this way.

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.

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, told The Sun: “She is floating around out there somewhere.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mystery-of-the-lyubov-orlova-ghost-ship-full-of-cannibal-rats-could-be-heading-for-british-coast-9080103.html

Offline Maik

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Re: 'Ghost ship' of cannibal rats headed for UK?
« Reply #1 on: Saturday, 25 January, 2014 @ 14:31:17 »
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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
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/shortcuts/2014/jan/24/lyubov-orlova-ghost-ship-cannibal-rats


Offline TonyKath

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Re: 'Ghost ship' of cannibal rats headed for UK?
« Reply #2 on: Saturday, 25 January, 2014 @ 19:27:39 »
So did the rats leave it when it was sinking....?! :hmm:

Tony