Abandoned cruise ship still adrift - Ghost Ship, Anyone?

Jason · January 25, 2013

A derelict ship that has been taking up space on the St. John's waterfront for nearly two and a half years has finally left port.

The Lyubov Orlova, an abandoned cruise ship, had its last line to the wharf cut at about 12:30 p.m., and was towed out of the harbour by a tugboat shortly afterwards.

The tow rope broke on Thursday, just one day after the decrepit ship was towed out of St. John's harbour.

Sea conditions had improved overnight, but the winds Friday morning were still about 35 km an hour and the waves were up to three metres high.

A DFO spokesperson said the crew of the tugboat that had the old cruise ship under tow will try to reconnect the line today.

The Lyubov Orlova will be towed to the Dominican Republic, where it has been sold for scrap. The voyage should take three to four weeks.

The ship was arrested in St. John's in September 2010 after a creditor put a lien on the vessel.

A Russian company, Locso Shipping, owned the 90-metre Orlova. At the time of the ship's arrest, the Russian-based company owed Cruise North Expeditions $250,000. The company also owed 51 crew on the vessel more than $300,000 in wages.

Since 2010, the abandoned ship has been sold and resold, all the while being moored on the St. John's waterfront.

Reza Shoeybi, owner of a tugboat from Boston, arrived in St. John's in early December to prepare the Orlova for towing, and has been waiting for five to six weeks for the right conditions in which to move the vessel.

Source: CBC News

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Sarge6870 · January 26, 2013

This ship was named after a Russian film star. The story reminds me of when, years ago, we cruised to Freeport. At the port there were somewhere in the range of 5 derelict cruise ships. I had been enthralled by them, thinking about the passengers that sailed them, the crew that manned them and the ports they visited over the years. So sad to see the lingering death of a great cruiseliner!

WeCruiseToo · January 26, 2013

You’re right about that. We visited Freeport for the first time in September 2002 aboard Carnival’s Fantasy. There must have been at least five ships laid up there – I think three of them were the “Big Red Boats” of Premier Cruises. Very sad to see them wasting away like that… :sad2:

Sarge6870 · January 26, 2013

Your right Mike & Amy. Those were the ships I had seen too. There was actually a time when the city of N.Y. was considering towing them to the port of N.Y. and refurbishing them for homeless housing. When the city found out how much it would cost to bring them up to code to make them livable, they bailed on the idea!

Edited January 26, 2013 by Sarge6870