An abandoned Russian cruise ship that used to take rich travelers on expeditions to the Arctic is loose in the Atlantic Ocean – and could be headed to Ireland.
What worries officials is that the ship is most likely inhabited by starving rats that have probably started eating each other to survive, according to the L.A. Times.
The ship was abandoned in Canada and seized because of debts. It was sold to a scrapper, but the tug lost it in the ocean. It was found later by Canadians, but the government decided to pull it out to international waters and let it go.
High winds may be pushing it toward the coast of Ireland. But if it makes landfall, the rats are expected to jump ship – and they’ll be very, very hungry.
Read the full story here: Ghost ship Lyubov Orlova and starving rats headed for land?
The Smithsoniansays these are just theories and might not be true. There is even a blog that tracks sightings of the ship and has information on other ghost ships.