MV Alta aground at Ballycotton, County Cork
History
Name
  • 1976–1990: Tananger
  • 1990–1993: Pomar Murman
  • 1993–2000: Polar Trader
  • 2000–2013: Avantis II
  • 2013–2015: Avantis I
  • 2015–2017: Elias
  • 2017–present: Alta
Port of registryPanama or Tanzania
Launched17 March 1976
Completed1976
Maiden voyage1976
In service1976
Out of service2018
Identification
FateAbandoned in October 2018; currently grounded at Ballycotton, County Cork, Ireland
General characteristics
Tonnage2295 t
Length77.32 m (253 ft 8 in)
Installed powerDiesel
Speed7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph)
Capacity1640 t DWT

MV Alta is an abandoned merchant vessel currently located in Ireland.[1] Constructed in 1976 with the name Tananger, Alta was abandoned at sea in October 2018 and washed ashore in Ireland in February 2020, where her wreckage remains.

Career

Alta was constructed in 1976 as the Tananger, and has had several other names before becoming the Alta in 2017.[1] By 2015, she was equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) which allowed her movements to be tracked. She periodically switched the AIS on and off as she mostly travelled around the Mediterranean Sea. Deactivating the AIS is unusual, as is the numerous name changes the ship had in her later years, which can indicate involvement in illegal activity.[2]

Abandonment

In October 2018, the ship was on a voyage from Greece to Haiti. Such a long trip is unusual for a ship of this type and size, which typically stays closer to shorelines.[3] The ship’s engines failed in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving the crew stranded. The United States Coast Guard rescued the crew about 2,200 km (1,400 mi) south-east of Bermuda, and the ship was abandoned.[4]

After her abandonment, the ship's next moves are uncertain. An unverified report suggested that she was towed to Guyana and possibly hijacked, only to be abandoned a second time.[3] Regardless of what happened, the ghost ship was next sighted by HMS Protector in August or September 2019, near Bermuda. After this sighting, she likely continued to drift at very low speeds before eventually arriving in Ireland. However, the AIS was not functioning after her abandonment, making her course uncertain.[2]

Map
Journey of the MV Alva, compiled from reports.

Wreckage

On 16 February 2020, the Alta ran aground on the Irish coast near Ballycotton, Cork amid Storm Dennis.[5][6][7] The rare story of a modern day ghost ship, as well as the length of time it spent floating without crew or captain at sea (18 months), caught the global public's imagination and curiosity.[8]

The responsibility of the wreck fell to Irish Minister for the Marine as per the Salvage and Wreck Act 1993, until such time as a receiver of wreck be appointed. Despite efforts to determine the ownership of the ship—so that the Irish state can try to recover costs incurred[9]—as of December 2020 ownership had not been established.[10][11] Although the ship's commercial scrap value is "low," the cost to the Irish exchequer of removing the wreck could exceed €10 millions.[12] Alta had previously been the subject of an ownership dispute, with claims she was once hijacked and towed to Guyana, but efforts have been made to establish where she was last registered. Some reports suggest the ship was sailing under a Panamanian flag when her crew were rescued and she was abandoned in October 2018, while other reports suggest she was registered in Tanzania.[6][13] Sixty-two full barrels of oil were ultimately removed from the wreck by helicopter.[14] Afterwards, the ship was sealed off and made inaccessible.

By October 2020, the wreckage had deteriorated to the point that the Cork County Council feared that the ship would break apart. The County has requested assistance from other departments of the Irish government in removing the ship. Options including scrapping her, towing her out to sea and scuttling her were considered,[11] however by early 2022 the hull of Alta had split in two following a series of storms.[15] A report announced by the Department of Transport and Cork County Council in February 2023 on how to proceed with the Alta concluded that the risk to the general public had been reduced to medium following mitigation efforts by the authorities and risk to the environment was at acceptable levels.[16]

Map

References

  1. ^ a b "ALTA: Vessel Details". marinetraffic.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Burgess, Matt (29 March 2020). "The mysterious final voyage of the Alta, Ireland's doomed ghost ship". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b Hilliard, Mark. "MV Alta: The unmanned voyage of the Ballycotton 'ghost ship'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. ^ Gary Dixon (5 September 2019). "Mystery cargoship found drifting in mid-Atlantic". Trade Winds News. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. ^ Roche, Barry (16 February 2020). "Storm Dennis washes abandoned 'ghost ship' onto rocks off Co Cork". Irish Times. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Storm Dennis: 'Ghost ship' washes up on Irish coast". BBC News. 17 February 2020.
  7. ^ Thomas, Cónal (29 March 2020). "Coast Guard warned ghost ship could be 'pilfered' and urged Council to provide security". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  8. ^ "In Ireland, shipwrecked MV Alta ran aground after floating around the world without crew or captain for a YEAR. Authorities are struggling to find out..." outl.it. Retrieved 5 May 2020.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Contractor to board Cork 'ghost ship' at low tide tomorrow morning". The Journal. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  10. ^ O'Sullivan, Jennie (4 May 2020). "MV Alta could cost €10m to salvage – expert" – via www.rte.ie. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ a b Thomas, Cónal (26 December 2020). "Cork Council warns ghost ship could 'break apart' and seeks State solution for shipwreck". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  12. ^ Carroll, Rory (5 May 2020). "Ireland faces bill for millions to remove 'ghost ship' from rocks". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Storm Dennis sends abandoned cargo ship to Ireland". Marine Industry News. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  14. ^ Burke, Róisín (26 February 2020). "Almost 100 oil barrels removed from ghost ship; Council now closing down the wreck". The Echo. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  15. ^ Burke, Róisín (13 March 2022). "Ship washed up in East Cork gives up the ghost". The Echo. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Wreck of 'ghost ship' in east Cork posed an 'unacceptable' risk to members of the public". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
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