MV Lyubov Orlova (built as Lyubovy Orlova) was a 1976 Yugoslavia-built ice-strengthened cruise ship, which was primarily used for Antarctic cruises. After being taken out of service in 2010, she sat in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada for two years. Decommissioning was fraught with problems and the ship eventually became a floating derelict in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2013. She is believed to have sunk. History Lyubov Orlova was named after the Russian film star Lyubov Orlova. The ship was built for the Far Eastern Shipping Company based at Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. She served as an expedition cruise ship, like her sister . Her hull was built to Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A, to withstand impacts with ice, and she often sailed in Antarctica and the Arctic. The ship was refurbished in 1999, and chartered by Marine Expeditions for cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2000. She underwent extensive renovations in 2002 and was subsequently chartered by Quark Expeditions for the Antarctic and Cruise North Expeditions for the Arctic. Lyubov Orlova ran aground at Deception Island, Antarctica, on 27 November 2006. She was towed off by the Spanish Navy icebreaker Las Palmas and made her own way to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Loss Decommissioning In September 2010, Lyubov Orlova was seized at St John's, Newfoundland, Canada due to debts of US$251,000 owed to the charterer, Cruise North Expeditions, from a cruise which was cancelled because of faults with the ship. In addition, the 51 crew members had not been paid in five months. The ship was impounded in Newfoundland and, in February 2012, was sold to Neptune International Shipping to be broken up. Salvage and abandonment The derelict vessel had been tied up in St. John's harbour for over two years and was being towed to the Dominican Republic to be scrapped. The tug Charlene Hunt, owned by American tug operator Hunt Marine, was contracted to tow the ship. The day after leaving the dock, the tow line parted. The crew of the tugboat tried to reconnect the line but was hampered by winds and waves. By 28 January 2013, Lyubov Orlova was drifting slowly eastward off the southeastern end of the Avalon Peninsula in Canada. The offshore supply vessel Atlantic Hawk, with a 157 tonne continuous bollard pull rating, under contract by Husky Energy, was tasked with regaining control of the drifting vessel, which was a risk to