The Royal Navy ice patrol ship stumbled upon a mysterious ghost ship while in underway in the mid-Atlantic Ocean earlier this week.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Protector came across the abandoned vessel on August 30 as it sailed towards the Bahamas to assist with hurricane relief efforts.
The crew on board the vessel attempted to make contact with the ship but received no response in return.
Two days ago @hmsprotector discovered this apparently abandoned Merchant Vessel whilst mid-Atlantic. We closed the vessel to make contact and offer our assistance, but no one replied! Whilst investigations continue we’re unable to give you more detail on this strange event.???? pic.twitter.com/x29sB5IF06
— HMS Protector (@hmsprotector) September 2, 2019
Although the ship’s identity has not been confirmed, it is speculated to be the M/V Alta, which was abandoned back in October 2018 approximately 1,380 miles southeast of Bermuda.
The M/V Alta made headlines after the U.S. Coast Guard rescued its 10 crew members who were stranded aboard the disabled ship for almost 20 days and running low on food and water. The Coast Guard says it was initially notified on September 30, 2018 that the 250-foot Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship was rendered disabled while transiting from Greece to Haiti, and the crew was unable to make repairs.
An image of the M/V Alta provided by the U.S. Coast Guard is below:
(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Air Station Elizabeth City)