Ghost cruise ship heaving with ‘cannibal rats’ heading for Britain?

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A ghost ship reportedly crawling with cannibal rats could be heading for Britain, according to experts.

The Luyubov Orlova cruise ship has been adrift in the North Atlantic for the last 12 months.

The 40-year-old ship, named after a Russian actress, was built to carry 110 passengers. But in 2010, it was impounded in Newfoundland over debts.

After two years tied up at the port, she was ordered to be towed to the Dominican Republic and scrapped.

When the tow-line to the tug boat broke, the Canadian government got another ship to drag her out to sea and release her, reports the Daily Mail.

According to the Metro, coastguards now believe the derelict floating vessel – full of rats that will be eating each other to survive – could be driven towards Britain by recent storms.

If the ship is beached, it is likely to be on the west coast of Ireland, Scotland or the far southern tip of England.

Authorities as well as salvage hunters hoping to cash in on the £600,000 of scrap metal, are searching for it. They do not believe she has sunk because the life raft transmitters have not gone off.

One searcher, Belgian-based Pim de Rhoodes, told The Sun: “She is floating around out there somewhere.

“There will be a lot of rats and they eat each other. If I get aboard I’ll have to lace everywhere with poison.”

According to the Mirror, Irish coastguard chief Chris Reynolds said: “There have been huge storms in recent months but it takes a lot to sink a vessel as big as that. We must stay vigilant.”

Ten of the largest cruise ships ever

• MSC Preziosa

  Measuring 333 metres in length and weighing approximately 140,000 tonnes, MSC Preziosa is MSC Cruises’ largest ship. She boasts 1,751 cabins, 26 lifts and 18 decks – 14 of these for passengers. Inside, passengers can enjoy six restaurants, 21 bars, a casino, four swimming pools, 12 whirlpools, a bowling alley, plus a sports area with playing fields, a children’s area and the superb MSC Aurea Spa. The Doremi Castle kids aqua park is unique to Preziosa, with its swooping thrills of Vertigo, the longest single-rider waterslide on the seas.

• Ventura

  Family-friendly Ventura is PO Cruises’ biggest cruise ship, measuring 290 metres in length and weighing 116,017 tonnes. The 3,078-passenger ship features 14 decks for passengers and is home to 12 places to eat including a fine dining restaurant by Marco Pierre White, as well as 16 places to drink, a lavish two-deck theatre, spa, four swimming pools and countless spaces to relax and socialise. The endless entertainment includes cabaret, tributes, comedy, dancing and a bar with a panoramic video wall displaying a different city skyline each evening. And for the kids, there are children’s clubs, Noddy and Mr. Men characters, as well as DJ decks and video games.

• Disney Dream

  
  With its 14 towering decks, a ship length of 340 metres and capacity to accommodate 4,000 passengers, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. It boasts a weight of 130,000 tonnes, 1,458 crew members and 1,250 staterooms. Designed with families in mind, Disney Dream promises ‘splashes of magic’ at its themed restaurants, live musical shows and in the sparkling pools. For the adults, there are five nightclubs and lounges for dancing and socialising at sea.

• And the world’s biggest cruise ship is… Oasis of the Seas

  At 362 metres long, Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world. Accommodating 6,400 guests at total capacity, the ship is longer than four football pitches, wider than almost six London buses parked end-to-end and weighs a huge 225,282 tonnes. Oasis of the Seas will be making its first ever port of call into Southampton in autumn 2014 and when it arrives, it will be 40 per cent larger than any other cruise ship to ever dock in the UK. The world’s largest cruise ship will be offering cruise holidays in Europe for the first time from autumn 2014. On board, you’ll find Central Park, a lush park the size of a football field, as well as a DreamWorks experience, theatre, surf simulator, ice skating rink and climbing walls to keep you entertained.

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