The MV Alta has made headlines recently as a modern day ‘ghost-ship’ that ran aground in Ireland in February. To date, the vessel owner has not been found, which may leave Ireland to foot the bill for its removal. If no owner is found, the Irish state will face a choice: spend millions of euros removing the vessel or let the elements determine its fate. Built in 1976, the Alta was flagged in Tanzania, changed owner in 2017 and was sailing from Greece to Haiti in September 2018 when it became disabled about 1,380 miles (2,220km) south-east of Bermuda. Unable to make repairs, the 10-strong crew was rescued by the US coastguard and brought to Puerto Rico. The ship was reportedly towed to Guyana and then hijacked, its subsequent fate unclear until August 2019 when a Royal Navy ice patrol ship, HMS Protector, encountered it in the mid-Atlantic, apparently unmanned.
- Length: 77.32m
- Breadth: 12.53m
- Built: 1976
- GT: 2295
