Rusty, but Still Seaworthy
The crew was questioned about their decision to sell the Sam Ratulangi as scrap. Sure, there was some wear and tear on the vessel, but it was still seaworthy. Besides, large cargo ships like this were built to last for 30 years or more. The Sam Ratulangi was only 17 years old.
The Burmese authorities suspected that the salvage story was just the cover story the crew was presenting so that the military would hand over the ship to them. They suspected that the crew had no plans to scrap the vessel. Instead, they theorized, they planned to keep using it for what they had been using it for. But what was that?
The Vessel Showed Signs of Upkeep
For a ghost ship that was supposedly drifting the ocean for nine years, the Sam Ratulangi was in remarkably good shape, especially its interior. The Burmese authorities theorized that the crew of the Independence had been maintaining the vessel for years.
The working theory is that the crew of the tugboat stole the Sam Ratulangi from the port in Taiwan in 2009 and sold its cargo for money. The vessel had then been sailing the high seas without the proper documentation, along with the Independence.
The Investigation Is Ongoing
The investigation into the ghost ship and the crew of the Independence is still ongoing. One thing seems to be abundantly clear … the crew of the Independence was engaging in illegal activities on the open seas. And both vessels were involved.
Piracy is a likely scenario, but the group could also be involved in the illegal transportation of cargo. Until the Burmese authorities can get to the bottom of the situation, the ghost ship, the Sam Ratulangi, is safely in the custody of the Myanmar Navy.
