The Icelandic Coast Guard’s ship Þór has been dispatched to meet a Russian ghost ship that has been floating aimlessly through the North Atlantic for nearly 3 months, RÚV reports.
The MV Lyubov Orlova was being towed from a dock in Newfoundland, Canada, to the Dominican Republic in January to be broken down for scraps when its towline snapped shortly after leaving harbour. The unmanned, rat-infested ship has since been adrift in the Atlantic.
The Icelandic Coast Guard were informed early yesterday morning that the Russian ship was floating just south of Surtsey, the young island that was formed following a volcanic eruption in 1963.
With the ship just a half nautical mile from shore, the Coast Guard and Environmental Agency are acting quickly to manage the situation. Among their main concerns are the rats on board, which, if they can swim, pose a significant threat to the delicate ecosystem on Surtsey. The two organisations are reviewing their options, and will likely set rat traps.
UPDATE: Apparently this was a hilarious April Fools Day joke from RÚV, despite the fact that there is, in fact, a rat-infested Russian ship drifting around the North Atlantic. The joke is that he ship is nearby Surtsey. Those folks at RÚV sure can spin some comedic gold.
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