An empty Russian ship, the Lyubov Orlova, has been drifting in the North Atlantic for more than a month, after breaking free from its towing line as it was being pulled from Canada to a scrapyard in the Dominican Republic.
The abandoned ship — now overrun with rats — was last located about 1,300 nautical miles off the Irish coast, but its exact whereabouts aren't known.
The ship's co-owner, Reza Shoeybi, of Toronto, has been frantically trying to track down the vessel (potentially worth up to $800,000 in scrap metal), since it first escaped in January.
The Orlova hasn't always been a rat-infested ghost ship.
Rick Derevan and his wife, Kathi, remember the orphaned vessel when it still worked as a polar expedition cruise ship.
The California couple took a trip to the Arctic in August 2007. At that time the ship was chartered by Cruise North, an Inuit-owned company.
Rick described his experience to Business Insider and was kind enough to share some photos with us. We also recommend checking out his full Arctic album on Flickr.
First, meet Rick and Kathi Derevan from Atacadero, California. Rick is an appellate lawyer and an environmentalist who loves the ocean.
The ship left from Iqaluit, a Canadian port city. To get there, the couple flew from Montreal to the local Airport (shown here).
The cruise lasted eight days, making stops throughout the Canadian Arctic, including Pangnirtung, Kekerten, and Auyuittuq National Park.
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