Built in Yugoslavia in 1976 and named after a famous Soviet film star, the MV Lyubov Orlova spent decades serving as an ice-strengthened cruise ship taking wealthy tourists on polar expeditions. However, by 2010, its fortunes vanished. The vessel was impounded in St.
John's, Newfoundland, after its owners ran up massive debts, leaving the crew stranded and unpaid for months. After sitting derelict for over two years, the ship was sold to a scrap buyer in the Dominican Republic. In January 2013, a tugboat attempted to tow the unmanned vessel out to sea, but just one day into the voyage, the towline snapped during a fierce Atlantic storm.
Canadian authorities secured the vessel temporarily to prevent it from colliding with offshore oil rigs, but once it was safely pushed into international waters, Transport Canada cut it loose, claiming it no longer posed a safety threat to domestic infrastructure or territorial waters. This decision triggered a bizarre international legal stalemate. Under international maritime law, no single nation is obligated to salvage an abandoned vessel floating in international waters unless it poses an immediate hazard to navigation.
As the ghost ship drifted aimlessly across the North Atlantic toward Europe, sensational tabloid rumors circulated claiming the ship was infested with swarms of cannibalistic rats surviving on each other. salvage operators were reluctant to claim the ship due to high recovery costs and legal uncertainties over ownership and liability. The ship's emergency beacon activated in early 2013, leading experts to believe it ultimately sank, though no wreckage was ever recovered.