After an 18 month voyage around the North Atlantic, with no crew aboard and nothing but the currents and endless storms to guide its way, the MV Alta ended its travels on the rocks of Ballyandreen, Co. Cork: no more than 10 km from where I live.

Apparently the ship was travelling between Greece and Haiti when it got into trouble. Its crew, running low on food and water, had to be rescued by the US Coast Guard. It was last seen somewhere near Bermuda. A jogger, running by the Ballycotton cliffs on February 16, was first to see it.

It’s unlikely to be going anywhere else for some time.