In Robertsport, Liberia, a Panama-flagged ship recently washed up on the shore. The last time the Tamaya 1 had reported its coordinates, it was heading towards Dakar, Senegal, on Africa’s west coast. When the oil tanker washed up on shore, on May 4, it was entirely empty.
It took two days for the Liberian government to become aware of the ship, and in the meantime, beached on the shore, the ship was looted.
It’s not clear what happened to the crew. In other parts of the world, “ghost” boats have been turning up with corpses inside, but this one was empty. It’s possible that the ship was attacked by pirates; according to news.com.au, the port authorities believe the ship’s owners “might have gone broke and had no money to pay crew members…and therefore, the crew abandoned the ship.
Bonus finds: Beetles that give birth to tiny beetles (instead of eggs), fossil dog
Every day, we highlight one newly found object, curiosity or wonder. Discover something amazing? Tell us about it! Send your finds to sarah.laskow@atlasobscura.com.