A ship that was believed to be infested with cannibalistic rats, may no longer be a threat. The Coast Guard originally thought the ship was drifting towards the coast of Britain. They are now saying that they believe the ship has sank in Western Europe.

The ship was seized by Canadian authorities who were repossessing it as part of a lawsuit in 2010. The ship was being taken to a salvage yard in the Dominican Republic when it broke free three times. They eventually gave up and the ship has drifted ever since.

Rumors that the boat was full of diseased and cannibalistic rats have not been confirmed, but as the ship began to drift closer to Britain, many people began to get nervous. The Coast Guard says that if there are still rats onboard the ship, they are likely starving and will have only had each other as a food source.

The Coast Guard is not 100% sure that the ship has sank. It was last seen in February of last year and emergency signals were received from the ship in March. The signals only transmit when they hit water.

Chris Reynolds of the Irish Coast Guard said,

“Our belief is that it has more than likely sunk, given the storms that have gone through the region.” “We must stay vigilant. We don’t want rats from foreign ships coming onto Irish soil. If it came and broke up on shore, I’m sure local people wouldn’t be very happy about it.”

The Coast Guard will continue to search for the ship and try to determine if it has sank.

Do you think the ship sank or is it still floating in the ocean with thousands of diseased rats onboard?

Image via Wikimedia Commons.