Cargo ship found drifting in mid-Atlantic

An apparently abandoned cargo vessel was found drifting in the mid-Atlantic Ocean by the crew of a Royal Navy ship on August 31.

The ice patrol and research ship HMS Protector approached the mystery vessel to establish communication and offer assistance but ended up proceeding on its scheduled voyage after repeated attempts to contact the other vessel yielded no response.

An investigation has been launched to determine the identity of the cargo vessel as well as the events leading up to its becoming adrift in the high seas, Protector‘s crew said via their ship’s official Twitter account.

Protector was sailing to Bermuda for a logistics call as part of a scheduled voyage to Antarctica when it found the drifting vessel. The Royal Navy ship has since been diverted to the Bahamas to assist in relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.