Have you heard the old stories about ghost ships? They wander the ocean aimlessly, dragged by random waves. No one lives in them, and they surprise the navigator who crosses his path. And sometimes they run aground. It happened earlier this week. The strong winds caused by the storm Dennis in the United Kingdom and western Europe were complicit. They caused the appearance of the ghost ship that appeared on the coast of County Cork, Ireland.
Posing for the photos
Aerial images of the Irish Coast Guard show the huge ship 80 meters long stranded near the fishing town of Ballycotton. And now, photographers can visit and take pictures of this giant lying on the rocks of the coast.
The boat was drifting for almost a year and a half. In that time it has crossed thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. The last time he was manned is in 2018 near the island of Bermuda. The US Coast Guard He rescued the crew in September 2018.
"This only happens once in a million," said John Tattan, one of the maritime guards in the area. Built in 1976, the ship is named Alta and the flag of Tanzania. Before he had several other names and owners.
In September 2018 he had problems on his trip from Greece to Haiti. A power supply failure left the boat adrift near the island of Bermuda for about 20 days. Its ten crew members dedicated themselves to trying to fix the fault. Meanwhile, a hurricane approaching the area forced the US Coast Guard to evacuate everyone from the ship.
Since then, the ship was abandoned. The last time he had been seen was in September 2019, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was spotted by a British Royal Navy ship.
This week, curious visitors were able to board the ship aground near Cork County. So far there have been no leaks of pollutants from the ship, according to environmental agencies in the town of Ballycotton.
The future of the ghost ship will be decided by the Cork County Council.
According to the Irish Times newspaper, a person who claimed to be a representative of the ship's owner came forward to claim ownership over the remains. But it may not be the last we know of the ghost ship. Will some once again float on the sea?
