The Irish Coast Guard had reported on Twitter that the vessel was found empty off the coast of County Cork near Ballycotton, shortly after the storm.
Rescue 117 was tasked earlier today to a vessel aground near Ballycotton, Cork. There was nobody on board. Previously the @USCG had rescued the 10 crew members from the vessel back in September 2018. The vessel has been drifting since and today came ashore on the Cork coastline. pic.twitter.com/NbvlZ89KSY
— Irish Coast Guard (@IrishCoastGuard) February 16, 2020
The Cork City Council warned the public to stay away from the ship as it is stranded on a dangerous stretch of coastline and still affected by the dangerous weather. The council had also said that engineers will inspect the vessel as soon as they get the chance.
This is the first time the Alta has been seen since a Royal Navy ship tweeted that its crew had spotted it in the middle of the Atlantic in September 2019.
Two days ago @hmsprotector discovered this apparently abandoned Merchant Vessel whilst mid-Atlantic. We closed the vessel to make contact and offer our assistance, but no one replied! Whilst investigations continue we’re unable to give you more detail on this strange event.🌊🚢🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/x29sB5IF06
— HMS Protector (@hmsprotector) September 2, 2019
The ship was abandoned back in 2018 about 1,300 miles (2,000 km) southeast of Bermuda, after calling for help while sailing from Greece to Haiti. The crew was rescued by the US Coast Guard and the Alta has been drifting in the Atlantic ever since.
