The sky on the way back was an ominous grey, the wind now noticeable by its absence. Glasgow had been busily cleaning up the effects of Storm Birka, the flying litter and broken glass swept up and the waste bins returned to their rightful places.

Chrissy, always the talker, was noticeably quiet, which suited Rhona for the moment. Having departed the locus, it was obvious they had brought the smell with them as a reminder. It permeated the van and she could taste it on her lips.

By the studied look on her face, Chrissy was suffering from it too.

Watching the rain stream down the windscreen, Rhona was already imagining herself standing under the shower, the spray beating her head, her mouth turned upwards to be rinsed. That alone wouldn’t be enough to kill the smell that had invaded every part of her body, but it would help.

9

The ship, the MV Orlova, was boarded today by Inspector Erling Flett, along with two of the coastguard search and rescue team. As this was happening, two experienced divers, familiar with North Sea conditions, examined the hull of the stranded ship.

Thankfully, it was found to be intact, with the fuel tanks undamaged by the storm and its aftermath.

As we understand it, the interior suggests it had been internally upgraded to allow its use for adventure cruises, possibly in colder latitudes.

Adventure cruising has become internationally popular of late. It often includes travel to more hostile locations with the possibility to take part in extreme sports.

Our sources tell us that there was a great deal of computer equipment on board the ship which allowed for sophisticated virtual gaming to take place.

Sadly, three bodies have also been located aboard, of two men and one woman who apparently died in suspicious circumstances.

Initial results on the history of MV Orlova suggest it may be a Russian ship abandoned off the Florida coast two years ago, when the registered owners were declared bankrupt. It appears to have been upgraded since then, but by whom?

What we do know is that the Orlova made its way east across the Atlantic Ocean, perhaps still manned or already abandoned, to be driven ashore on the cliffs at Yesnaby in Orkney.

The abandoned ships that litter our oceans are often referred to as ghost ships. A relatively common phenomenon, the most recent was the MV Alta, the derelict 77-metre freighter which was driven onto rocks at Ballyandreen in east Cork, Ireland, during Storm Dennis. It had been derelict since the US Coast Guard rescued the ten-man crew from the vessel in October 2018.

Intriguingly, the story of the MV Orlova is shrouded in more mist than the MV Alta. No one it seems lays claim to the ship either currently or in the recent past.