Ship location kept quiet to protect hijacked crew

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-19 09:52

An undated handout photo obtained through ship operator Solchart shows the missing bulk carrier Arctic Sea. The mystery surrounding the missing merchant ship deepened Thursday with Matveyev suggesting piracy and maritime experts suspecting foul play or even a secret cargo. [Agencies]

MOSCOW：For more than two weeks, the freighter Arctic Sea seemed to have vanished in the Atlantic Ocean's vastness, but officials said Tuesday they knew where it was all along and were just staying mum in order to bring a dangerous hijacking drama to a bloodless end.

A Russian naval vessel reached the Arctic Sea late Sunday in waters near Cape Verde, thousands of miles (kilometers) from the Algerian port it was to have docked at on Aug. 4. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Tuesday that eight suspected hijackers were in custody.

It was the first official confirmation that the ship had been attacked, after weeks of rumors and clues about why the vessel might have disappeared.

The Maritime Authority in Malta, where the Russian-crewed ship is registered, said in a statement late Tuesday that "The movements of the MV Arctic Sea were always known for several days, notwithstanding reports that the ship had 'disappeared.'"

Authorities in Finland, Malta and Sweden had agreed "not to disclose any sensitive information in order not to jeopardize the life and safety of the persons on board and the integrity of the ship," the statement said.

The ship left the Finnish port of Pietarsaari with a load of timber on July 21. More than a week later, Swedish police said they were investigating a report that masked men had raided the ship and beaten the crew near the Swedish island of Gotland before speeding off 12 hours later.

The Interfax news agency reported Tuesday that a Russian company that insured the vessel had received a ransom demand of $1.5 million on Aug. 3. Finnish investigators said a ransom demand had been made, though it was unclear to whom.

The caller "was threatening to shoot dead the crew and sink the vessel," said Vladimir Dushin, vice president for security at the insurance company Renaissance Strakhovanie, according to Interfax.

Security and maritime experts had suggested the Arctic Sea's mysterious four-week journey pointed to something other than piracy, with some suggesting state involvement or a secret cargo, possibly of nuclear materials.

The suspected hijackers - citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Russia - were arrested without a shot being fired, state news agencies quoted Serdyukov as saying. The ship's 15 crew members were safe and were taken aboard by the navy for questioning.

The armed hijackers had boarded the freighter under the pretext that there was a problem with their inflatable craft, Serdyukov reportedly said. They then forced the crew to change course and turned off the Arctic Sea's navigation equipment, he said, according to Russian news agencies.

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