Transport Canada says the Lyubov Orlova does not fall under their jurisdiction, making the fate of the vessel unclear as it continues to drift off the coast of Newfoundland.

According to a release from Transport Canada, the flag state of the ship is responsible for issuing safety certificates for the vessel, so it did not conduct an inspection before the ship left the St. John's harbour

Insiders told CBC on Friday that they question the seaworthiness of the ship itself, as well as the competency of the crew aboard the tugboat responsible for towing the cruise ship to the Dominican Republic.

Transport Canada said it will continue to monitor the situation for pollution, but since the Orlova is not blocking any navigation or leaking any pollution, it is not currently an unsafe situation.

The ship was towed out of the St. John's harbour on Wednesday after being tied up there for nearly two-and-a-half years – but it took less than 24 hours for it to run into problems.

It remains adrift off the coast of Newfoundland after the tow line attached to the tugboat taking it to the Dominican Republic broke.