Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Murderer’s Birds!
Elgin Public Museum
Tynemouth Castle.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Fresco on the ceiling of the chapel.
Cappella Sistina
View southwest from the trilobite quarry out to Cadiz Valley.
Marble Mountains Trilobite Quarry
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Liberia Robertsport Robertsport Ghost Ship

Robertsport Ghost Ship

After several weeks of radio silence, this abandoned oil tanker washed up on a remote beach in Liberia.

Robertsport, Liberia

Added By
Alex Caro
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
View of the ship from the side   alexcaro / Atlas Obscura User
View of the ship from the side   alexcaro / Atlas Obscura User
View of the ship after passing over the coastal rocks   alexcaro / Atlas Obscura User
View of front of the ship   alexcaro / Atlas Obscura User
View from the deck   alexcaro / Atlas Obscura User
  Mrmacca / CC BY-SA 4.0
  Mrmacca / CC BY-SA 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 2016, this mysterious ship bearing the name Tamaya 1 washed up on the shores of Robertsport, Liberia. After the 60-meter-long ship washed ashore, it took government officials several days to realize what had happened, as the Liberian coast is largely unmonitored. Two days later, the government officials learned about the mystery ship on their shores, the Coast Guard boarded the vessel to investigate. The lifeboats were missing and there was no trace of the crew. The Ministry of National Defense put out a statement saying that the bridge was "gutted by fire" and all documents onboard the ship had been burned to a crisp.

Theories began to circulate about the cause. The Tamaya was an oil tanker bound for Dakar, Senegal, that had last been seen some three weeks before it washed up on the Robertsport beach. Some suspected the crew and ship had been victims of piracy. That theory was dismissed, as the vessel's last known position was outside of the waters where pirate groups typically operate.

Several months after the incident, the alleged owner, Nigerian national Robert M. Saigba, came to Liberia to meet with government officials. Saigba claimed that the crew was forced to abandon ship to a fishing vessel, leaving behind the Tamaya and their lifeboat. The lifeboat was later found washed up in Edina, Liberia, about 125 miles away.

Related Tags

Mystery Ships Shipwrecks

Know Before You Go

The ship is a short coastal hike south from Nana's Lodge. Following the coast will get you to the ship, but you will have to either walk across some slippery rocks on the coast or go around them through the forest. The hike is not too difficult but you should take care to wear proper shoes that have grip, not beach sandals.

Community Contributors

Added By

alexcaro

Edited By

mikermnz, Michelle Cassidy

  • mikermnz
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

December 2, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/mystery-surrounds-ghost-ship-that-drifts-ashore-in-liberia-where-is-the-crew/
  • https://shipwrecklog.com/log/tag/robertsport/
  • https://www.offbeattravelling.com/mysterious-abandoned-ghost-ship-liberia-west-africa/
Robertsport Ghost Ship
Robertsport
Liberia
6.730931, -11.37929

Nearby Places

Bomi Blue Lake

Tubmanburg, Liberia

miles away

Abandoned Ducor Hotel

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Liberian National Museum

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Liberia

Liberia

Africa

Places 7
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Bomi Blue Lake

Tubmanburg, Liberia

miles away

Abandoned Ducor Hotel

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Liberian National Museum

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Liberia

Liberia

Africa

Places 7
Stories 2

Related Places

  • The front side of the Big Piece.

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    ‘The Big Piece’

    The largest recovered section of Titanic sits in a hotel in Las Vegas.

  • A plaque commemorating the events that unfolded here.

    Southampton, England

    Canute Chambers Plaque

    This building was once the local office of White Star Line, the company that employed the crew on the Titanic when it sank.

  • Wreck of the Marjory Glen

    Argentina

    Wreck of the Marjory Glen

    This rusty hull was used as fighter plane target practice during the Falklands War.

  • The propeller hub in El Medano

    El Médano, Spain

    SS American Star Propeller Hub

    This propeller hub is one of the last remnants of a ship that crashed off the coast of the Canary Islands.

  • The three castaways, depicted on the memorial at Fort Vancouver

    Vancouver, Washington

    Japanese Castaways Memorial

    A monument dedicated to three unlikely visitors to North America.

  • A diver at the SS President Coolidge

    Luganville, Vanuatu

    SS President Coolidge

    This cruise ship-turned-warship sank during World War II, and is now a world-renowned dive site.

  • This ship was once used to transport phosphorus.

    Oak Island, North Carolina

    Shipwreck Park

    The remains of a 19th century cargo ship now sits in the middle of a quaint neighborhood after a century spent on the ocean floor.

  • The Souvenir, now the Graveyard of Lost Species

    Southend-on-Sea, England

    Graveyard of Lost Species

    A boat slowly sinking into the Essex mud flats bearing the names of the disappeared that haunt the Thames Estuary.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.