A Russian cruise ship abandoned and drifting in the North Atlantic has been located about 1,300 nautical miles off the west coast of Ireland, according to a US intelligence agency. With no crew or warning lights, the ship Lyubov Orlova has been drifting for two months and maritime authorities had been uncertain of its exact location. According to a document from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Lyubov Orlova has been spotted at roughly 1,300 nautical miles from the Irish coast. The details were listed in a maritime update put out by the intelligence agency, which analyzes satellite imagery and creates detailed maps for the US government.
With rats as its only passengers, the Lyubov Orlova had left Canada's shores on January 23 to be towed to a scrapyard in the Dominican Republic. But the next day, the cable snapped, leaving it stranded in international waters. It was then secured by the Atlantic Hawk, a supply vessel in the offshore oil industry, which managed to tow the ship before it drifted off yet again.
Canada's transport authority has said the ship -- abandoned for two years -- was no longer its concern, as it had left the country's waters. But authorities said the owner was responsible for its movements.
Earlier this week, Canadian officials acknowledged they did not know the location of the vessel, since the ship's global positioning system was no longer working. But the information gathered on the ship's location shows the derelict vessel is slowly heading towards Europe, having drifted at least 435 nautical miles toward the European coastline.