MV Arctic Sea is a cargo ship formerly registered in Malta that was reported missing between late July and mid-August 2009 en route from Finland to Algeria, crewed by Russian sailors and declared to be carrying a cargo of timber. Hijackers allegedly boarded the ship off the coast of Sweden on 24 July 2009. The incident was not immediately reported, and contact with the ship was lost on or after 30 July. The Arctic Sea did not arrive at its scheduled port in Algeria and was reportedly located near Cape Verde instead on 14 August. On 17 August, it was seized by the Russian Navy. An investigation into the incident was started amidst speculation regarding the ship's actual cargo, and there were allegations of a cover-up by Russian authorities. The Arctic Sea was towed into harbor in the Maltese capital of Valletta on 29 October 2009.
The ship's alleged hijacking and subsequent events have remained difficult to understand, as no credible explanation has been presented of its disappearance and Russian authorities' conduct during and after the ship's capture. If confirmed to be an act of piracy, the hijacking of Arctic Sea would be the first known of its kind in Northern European waters for centuries.
The Russian court found all of the alleged hijackers to be guilty of piracy, but this has not led commentators to be any "closer to knowing what actually happened".
Background In March 2010, the Arctic Sea was owned by a U.S.-based company, Arctic Runner Shipping Inc., and operated by a Canada-based company, Great Lakes Feeder Lines. At the time of the hijacking the vessel was owned by a Finnish company and operated by Solchart Management.Missing Arctic Sea cargo vessel pursued by rumours and Russian Navy . Helsingin Sanomat. 14 August 2009.
Boarding incident The ship was crewed by complement of 15 Russian sailors and was declared to be carrying more than $1.8 million worth of timber from Jakobstad, Finland, to Béjaïa, Algeria. The 6,700 cubic meters of sawn timber was sold by Rets Timber, a joint venture between Stora Enso Oyj and UPM-Kymmene Oyj. The ship was between the islands of Öland and Gotland in the territorial waters of Sweden when it was allegedly boarded in the early hours of 24 July 2009 by a group of eight to ten English-speakingIrvine, Chris (6 September 2009). Arctic Sea ghost ship 'was carrying weapons to Iran'. The Daily Telegraph. men. They approached on an inflatable boat bearing the word "polis" (Swedish for "police"). The ship's owner learned from the captain that the intruders claimed to be police officers, apprehended the crew, searched the ship, and then left, leaving some crew members injured. The Swedish government said that its police forces were not involved in boarding the vessel, and they then launched an investigation.
A spokesman for the European Commission said that the actions had nothing "in common with traditional acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea".
Disappearance
The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency had the last known radio contact with the vessel as it was passing through the Strait of Dover on 28 July. Nothing extraordinary was detected during the communication, though authorities believe that the crew was coerced not to raise an alarm by the hijackers. The ship continued to send Automatic Identification System signals until 30 July. A press-secretary of the Swedish Police Authority confirmed that one of its investigators had a phone contact with a crew member on 31 July, but refused to disclose its nature. No communication occurred after that; the ship failed to come to Béjaïa on its scheduled arrival date, 5 August. Coastal tracking radar last picked up the ship's signal near Brest, France; it was later reported being observed by a patrol aircraft near the Portuguese coast. The vessel was never seen passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. A hijack alert was issued by Interpol on 3 August.
The Russian Navy dispatched ships from its Black Sea Fleet to search for the vessel and Portugal also conducted a search.
Discovery On 14 August the ship was reportedly sighted off Cape Verde. The Russian ambassador to Cape Verde stated that a Russian frigate was heading to the area but that the detection had not been confirmed. Meanwhile, an unnamed military official stated that the ship had indeed been found but that the location was being kept secret from the public for security reasons, without clarifying the statement further.
The Defense Minister of Russia, Anatoliy Serdyukov, announced on 17 August that the ship had been found and seized off the Cape Verde Islands. All 15 crew members were said to be alive and well; they were transferred to the Ladnyy, a , for questioning. At that time no additional details were given. Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to NATO, mentioned to the press on 17 August that false information was deliberately supplied to the media in order to keep Russian plans secret.
After the ship's seizure the Malta Maritime Authority stated that the security committee—composed of Maltese, Finnish and Swedish authorities—were aware of the ship's location at all times, but withheld the information to protect the crew.
Seizure and investigation On 15 August the Finnish Police issued a statement about their investigation, in cooperation with Swedish and Maltese authorities, into "aggravated extortion and alleged hijacking". The police confirmed that a ransom had been demanded, but did not reveal any details, citing possible threats to life and safety. The ship's owners claimed that they had not received any ransom demands. The security chief of Russian insurance agency Renaissance Insurance Group told Russian newspapers on 18 August that their office was telephoned on 3 August, and the caller claimed to be speaking on behalf of the hijackers, demanding €1.5 million or else the ship would be sunk and crew killed.
On 18 August, the Russian defense minister stated that eight hijackers had been arrested. Names of the suspects were later released (on 25 August).Krainova, Natalya (25 August 2009). . The Moscow Times. According to the Russian defense minister, four of the arrested men held Estonian passports, two were Latvian, and the other two were Russian citizens. The Estonian Security Police reported on 20 August that six of the eight alleged hijackers were residents of Estonia, and of these, one had Estonian citizenship, two were Russian citizens, and three had undefined citizenship; additionally, several of them were known to have a prior criminal background. Once it became known that most of the alleged hijackers were residents of Estonia, the country joined the international investigation group already consisting of Finland, Sweden, and Malta.
Ships sailing the high seas are generally under the jurisdiction of the flag state (in case of the Arctic Sea, Malta). However, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, piracy is a universal jurisdiction crime so that persons arrested for piracy while in international waters are tried according to the laws of the arresting country: Russia, in this case.
According to the Russian defense minister, the hijackers approached the ship on 24 July on an inflatable boat with a purported engine problem, and were thus taken aboard by the crew. The alleged hijackers denied that any hijacking attempt took place, claiming to be environmentalists who were picked up by the ship after their boat had run out of fuel. Eleven crew members (the captain and several others remained on the ship) were returned to Moscow and held in isolation as witnesses that, quoting Alexander Bastrykin, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia, "need[ed] to be immediately interrogated." The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation was not supplied any information on why the crew was being held, and if they were suspected of any wrongdoing.Russia giving out little information on Arctic Sea mystery. Helsingin Sanomat. 25 August 2009. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that, when captured by the Russian warship, the captain initially claimed that the ship was North Korean, which was subsequently denied by Pyongyang. An attorney representing one of the alleged hijackers stated that it was the captain of the ship who prevented the men (purportedly stranded environmentalists) from disembarking the ship and who actually directed her towards the western coast of Africa. Nine of the eleven detained crew members returned home to Arkhangelsk on 29 August; the remaining two ostensibly were released at a later date. In the meantime, the investigating authorities have placed a gag order on the crew, with a penalty of up to 7 years in prison.
An initial search of the ship found no suspicious cargo, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.Russia says nothing suspicious found on Arctic Sea. Reuters. 25 August 2009. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a statement on 8 September, saying that nothing suspicious had been found on the Arctic Sea and that Maltese officials would be invited to take part in an inspection of the ship. The Times of Malta reported on 11 September that Maltese police officers and officials had been allowed to enter the ship.
Conclusion of vessel-related events On 29 October 2009 the Russian Navy finally delivered the Arctic Sea to Malta where, after an inspection by Maltese authorities, it was allowed to enter harbour and was returned to its owner. The four crew members, including the vessel's master, who had remained with the vessel after its seizure by the Russian Navy off the Cape Verde Islands, returned to Russia.Moscow Interfax-AVN 0930GMT 3 Nov 9 Solchart flew a new crew into Valletta. Repairs were made during the week of 3 November and then the ship finally delivered its cargo of sawn lumber to Algeria.Moscow ITAR-TASS 0908GMT 3 Nov 9; Moscow ITAR-TASS 1252GMT 2 Nov 9 In March 2011 6 of the 8 alleged hijackers were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 7 to 12 years. One of the convicted men, Yevgeny Mironov, was sentenced to seven years of hard labor.
Media coverage and speculation Doubts have been raised by various sources regarding the Russian authorities' account of hijacking circumstances and events, as well as the nature of the ship's cargo. Unusual aspects of the hijacking of the Arctic Sea have been pointed out by the European Union CommissionMissing ship 'found' off Africa. BBC News. 15 August 2009. and the media.Reuters (19 August 2009). Hijackers Threatened to Blow Up Mystery Ship: Reports. The New York Times. This has led to speculation on the nature of the operation.