Ship Lost in 2009: Pacific to Indian Ghost Tale

A ship that went missing in 2009 in the Pacific Ocean mysteriously reappeared in the Indian Ocean last week. People are calling it a ghost ship. An immediate explanation has been sent out, but it appears to be an attempt to quell wild speculation.

A ship lost in 2009 in the Pacific Ocean suddenly appeared in the Indian Ocean last week. (Photo: Facebook/Yangon Police) The container was last seen off the coast of Taiwan in 2009. When last spotted, the ship was flying the Indonesian flag. It set sail from Taiwan but all contact with the ship was lost nine years ago. Authorities in coastal countries believed the ship had been lost in the vast ocean.

But the ship named Sam Ratulang PB 1600 suddenly reappeared south of Myanmar in the Indian Ocean on August 30. It was discovered by some fishermen from a Myanmar village. Full, Thаmа Seіttа. The fishermen saw the ship stranded on a sandbank about 11 kilometers from the coast.

The fishermen entered the ghost ship but found no one on board. The boat was empty. They informed the coastal police. The Myanmar Navy was informed. Officials inspected the boat and had no idea where it came from.

“No crew or cargo was found on the ship. It was quite puzzling how such a large ship appeared in our waters,” the Myаnmаr Times quoted U Ne Win Yangon, a Myanmar parliamentarian, as saying.

The paper also quoted Myanmar Independent Seafarers Federation secretary-general U Aung Kyaw Linn as saying the ship was still in working condition. Linn said: “In my opinion, the ship was abandoned recently. There must be a reason (why it was abandoned).”

Reports say the ghost ship is 177.35 metres long and 27.91 metres wide. The container weighs 26,510 tonnes and was built in 2001.

The boat named Sam Ratulang PB 1600 was spotted on a sandbank by fishermen in a village in Myanmar. (Photo: Facebook/Yangon Police)

Some other reports from Myanmar say that the mysterious appearance of the ghost ship has been solved. These reports claim that the ship was intended to be dismantled at a shipbreaking factory in the port of Chittagong in Bangladesh. The ship broke away from the shipwreck factory and headed towards Myanmar.

However, there has been no explanation as to how this ship which was last seen in 2009 off the coast of Taiwan ended up at a ship-breaking factory in Chittagong. The mystery surrounding the ghost ship remains unanswered.

Interestingly, many unexpected ships and boats have been found in Asian waters. Some of them were found with no one on board, while others were dead when these boats were discovered. In 2015, 11 wooden boats were spotted in the Sea of Japan. Some of the boats were empty and damaged, while others had as many as 20 dead bodies.