The ghost ship that went viral this week – due to expert theories that suggested it was carrying cannibalistic rats and drifting towards the U.K. – has likely sunk.

Ghost Ship Likely Sunk

Built in 1976 in Yugoslavia, the Lyubov Orlova drifted out to sea sometime last year during a debt scandal involving the current owners, who had neglected to pay their crew, reported NBC News. At the time, it had been moored at a harbor in Canada before a storm set it loose.

The abandoned Lyubov Orlova had been home to hundreds of rats, many of whom would likely still be alive onboard the vessel. According to experts, without any other source of nutrients, the rats would have cannibalized, eating their own.

Lyubov Orlova Headed To The U.K.?

The cruise liner received global attention after it was speculated that it was nearing the U.K. No recent reports suggested that the ship had been seen or located via radar approaching the coast. They were based off of a March 2013 report, which stated that the ship was heading in the general direction of the European region.

The B-horror movie tagline of the story went viral this week, with hyperbole taking over for facts. Now, experts are coming out to state that the Lyubov Orlova has probably settled in the bottom of the ocean – and not posing a rat infestation problem for the U.K.

"We spent two or three months last year searching for it, using satellites and the Air Corps assisted us. It was predicted to be coming up roughly along the west coast towards Achill Island," the Irish Coast Guard’s Chris Reynolds told The Independent. "Our professional belief is that it has sunk. We've discussed it with the U.K. and Norway and Iceland and we're all pretty happy that it has probably sunk."

– Chelsea Regan

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