M.v."Polar Trader" on Pilot station Westereems the 3th February 1994. (see the pilotcutter at the stern of the 'Polar Trader'.)

Owner(s): Murman K/S.
Flag: Norway--Homeport: Tromsø.

as "Alta" Tanzania flag-Callsign: 5IM934 towed to Kalamata-Greece.
The "Alta" suffered mechanical damage in the Mediterranean Sea while enroute from Amepelakia to Port de Paix, Haiti, on Nov 13 2017 southwest of Tinarou. The disabled ship was initially attended by the Greek f/v "Michail" (MMSI: 240428000) with a member of the Kalamata Port Authority on board and later taken in tow by the Cyprus-flagged tug "Christos XIII" (IMO: 9563110), which was deployed from Piraeus, and pulled to the port of Kalamata, arriving there at 11 a.m. The Port Authority of Kalamata and Gytheion was informed and detained the ship with its crew of nine until the renewed certificate of seaworthiness has been submitted by the classification society.
as "Alta" Tanzania flag-Callsign: 5IM934 02 October 2018: Suppplied airdropped on disabled ship
The US Coast Guard airdropped a large supply of MREs to the "Alta" approximately 1380 miles southeast of Bermuda, on Oct 2, 2018. The Coast Guard was notified in the morning of Sep 30 that the "Alta", with 10 people onboard, became disabled while transiting from Greece to Haiti, and was unable to make repairs. The crew reported that they had enough food for two days and water for 15 days, and that there were no injuries or immediate medical concerns. The Coast Guard has been maintaining regular communications with the vessel and utilizing the Automated Mutual-assistance Vessel Rescue System to find nearby vessels that may be able to assist. An aircrew aboard an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, was able to airdrop enough food for one week to the crew Tuesday afternoon, which was retrieved by the "Alta"’s crew members. The crew was reported to be in good spirits. The ship owner has contracted a commercial tug to tow the vessel to Saint Maarten, which was expected to arrive at the "Alta"’s location next week. The Coast Guard continued to monitor the Alta and coordinate rescue efforts.( source: Vesseltracker.com)
Crew to abandon disabled ship.
Wed Oct 10 16:30:58 CEST 2018 Timsen
Local officials continued to assist the US Coast Guard with handling the "Alta", which remained adrift 1300 miles southeast of Bermuda with 10 crew on board. Supplies were running low, and a Coast Guard aircraft arrived into Bermuda last week to refuel before making a food drop to the vessel. A decision now has been made for the crew to abandon the vessel, with the initial intention for them to be repatriated via Bermuda, but now bound for Puerto Rico. Earlier attempts by vessel owners to dispatch tugs from Venezuela, Guyana, and Bahamas have proved unsuccessful. The USCG Cutter “Confidence” arrived on scene on Oct 8 offering assistance to ship’s crew as negotiations for tug assistance ashore continued. With the onset of TS Leslie and damage to vessel’s main engine, a decision was made for all crew members from Panama, Honduras and Greece to abandon vessel as salvage attempts by owners continued.( source: Vesseltracker.com)
Oct 1, 2018, a request was made for assistance by the ship in the middle of the Atlantic, 1,500 nautical miles west of the African coast. At that stage, the ship was reported to be disabled for a fortnight and drifting slowly in a northerly direction en route from Greece to Haiti where it had been due to arrive in Haiti at the end of September. The crew was taken off the vessel about 2,220 km southeast of Bermuda, but since then the ship has continued to drift being driven eastwards by the prevailing winds..
The ship was reported to have been subsequently hijacked twice. On the first occasion, it was reported to have been towed to Guyana.
On Sep 3, 2019, the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship HMS 'Protector' spotted the 'Alta' drifting in the middle of the Atlantic. There was nobody on board and the ship looked like she was derelict for some time.
The Coast Guard was continuing to monitor the vessel amid fears it may pose a pollution risk from its fuel tanks if it breaks up on the rocks due to stormy seas. Coast Guard will be liaising closely with Cork County Council, the Port of Cork and the Commissioners of Irish Lights in the coming days to decide what to do with the ship.
The Coast Guard will also be liaising with a number of international agencies to try and establish the ownership of the vessel. Meanwhile the Cork County Council has convened its Oil Spill Assessment Team as part of its Oil Spill Contingency Plan in response to the grounding. The council is currently liaising with the Irish Coastguard in relation to the pollution risk and with the Receiver of Wreck in relation to ownership of the vessel, the council confirmed in a statement. The vessel was most likely diesel fuelled which poses less risk of pollution than heavy fuel oil but the exact risk level at this time could not be confirmed yet. The ship will be inspected in day light on Feb 17 and from a land vantage point in order to access further the risk of the vessel breaking up and discharging its fuel into the sea at Ballycotton.
Environmental scientists who visited the area on Feb 17 did not see visible pollution. The County Cork council has asked a marine contractor to board the 'Alta' – the next opportunity will be on Feb 18 at around 7 a.m., during low tide – for a closer inspection. Any risk in relation to oil, other hazardous substances and pollution from the vessel was to be evaluated. The council said that people should stay away from the wreck as it is located on a dangerous and inaccessible stretch of coastline and is in an unstable condition.
2020-16-feb:Run aground of Ballycotton,Ireland under new Name Alta.
2020-18-feb: Small amount of oil found in tanks.
A small amount of fuel has been found in tanks of the 'Alta', but there was no cargo on board according to an initial report by marine contractors who boarded the vessel at low tide in the morning of Feb 18 upon a request from Cork County Council and the Irish Coast Guard.
Surveyors were unable to check all of the ship's fuel tanks because some of them were in inaccessible compartments that have been flooded by sea water. Arrangements were now being put in place to pump out these on Feb 19 so that contractors can finish the risk assessment. The council was increasingly concerned at reports that members of the public have boarded the wreck, which it said was extremely dangerous and could pose a risk to life. It is also asking members of the public to stay away from the vessel location as it was located along a dangerous and inaccessible stretch of coastline, which is also in an unstable condition. The vessel remained in a precarious position lodged on rocks in an inlet on the outskirts of Ballycotton. Cork County Council's Oil Spill Assessment Team met again this lunchtime to discuss the marine contractor's initial findings. In a statement issued this afternoon, it said consultations on the future of the wreck are continuing between the local authority, the Irish Coast Guard and the Receiver of Wreck.