Russia detains eight hijacking suspects on Arctic Sea

Hijackers made ransom demands, threatened to blow up ship

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Some light was shed on Tuesday on the mystery surrounding the four-week disappearance of the Finnish-owned and Maltese-registered freight vessel, the Arctic Sea, when Russia announced the arrest of eight people on board the ship suspected of hijacking the vessel.
      Russia’s Minister of Defence Anatoly Serdyukov said that four of the suspects are citizens of Estonia, two are Latvian, and two are Russian. Serdyukov said that the hijackers had boarded the ship on July 24th in Swedish waters.
      “They boarded the Arctic Sea with weapons, and demanded that the crew meet all of their demands. Then, at the orders of the hijackers, the Arctic Sea sailed toward Africa with its navigation equipment switched off.”
      Russian officials interrogated the suspects on the naval vessel Ladnyi, the ship involved in freeing the 15-member Russian crew. No shots were fired in the operation.
     
On Wednesday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that the members of the crew had said that the hijackers had threatened to blow up the ship if their demands for ransom were not met.
      The crew said that the hijackers were armed, but threw their weapons away when a Russian naval vessel ordered the crew to stop the ship. The Defence Ministry said that explosives, the hijackers’ rubber boat, and equipment used by the hijackers to climb on board were found on the vessel.
     
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said that the hijackers had sent ransom demands to both the Finnish shipping line that manages the vessel, and the Russian insurance company that insured the vessel.
      The NBI said on Tuesday evening that Sweden, Malta, and Finland are continuing their investigation into the apparent case of aggravated extortion and piracy.
      The NBI said that it will submit a request to Russian officials for closer cooperation in the investigation of the case.
     
Estonian and Latvian officials also asked for more information from Russia on the Arctic Sea hijacking, as citizens of those countries were among those arrested. Estonia’s Foreign Ministry submitted a diplomatic note on the matter to the Russian Embassy in Tallinn.
     
The Interfax news agency reports that the hijackers could face prison terms of up to 20 years, if convicted on charges of kidnapping in Russia.
      Rabbe von Hertzen of the Finnish NBI says that where the possible trials will be held remains open. In Finland the maximum sentence on such charges would be ten years' imprisonment.
      It has not yet been decided which country will take the lead in the investigation.
     
No members of the crew of the Arctic Sea are among those arrested. According to unconfirmed reports, the crew would be flown from Cape Verde to Moscow.
      Kari Naumanen, director of Rets Timber, which is responsible for the export of the load of lumber that the Arctic Sea was carrying to Algeria, told Helsingin Sanomat that he had spoken with the Finnish shipping company on Monday.
      “The shipping line said that the ship would be refuelled, and would possibly get a new crew. After that, the ship will leave for Algeria. It should be there in ten days.”
      Naumanen said that Rets Timber has continued its cooperation with the company even after the disappearance of the Arctic Sea. The line’s other ships have carried two loads of wood to Egypt on behalf of Rets Timber. Naumanen said that it is likely that the Arctic Sea will continue to transport goods for the company, once the ship gets back to Finland.
     
Officials in Malta said on Tuesday evening that the movements of the ship had been tracked by Swedish, Finnish, and Maltese officials for days. The Maltese said that a maritime safety committee with representatives from all three countries kept tabs on the vessel's location, but did not disclose the location for security reasons.
      The NBI’s Rabbe von Hertzen confirmed the existence of such a committee on Tuesday, but disputed the view spread on the news wires that the ship had never actually been missing.
     
Speaking at a press conference held in Moscow on Tuesday, Mikhail Voitenko, editor of the Maritime Bulletin online publication, said that he does not believe that the hijackers of the Arctic Sea were ordinary pirates.
      Voitenko pointed out that there is no point in hijacking a cargo vessel with a load of wood in the Baltic, when there are easier and more lucrative targets available. He has previously suspected that a “secret cargo” may have been the reason for the hijacking.
      He said that he does not believe that Russian officials will allow the crew to discuss the events of the hijacking with the media. In any event, the media would appear to have been led by the nose for much of this bizarre adventure on the high seas.
      So many questions still remain unanswered as to motives and the course of events that the story is unlikely to go away very soon.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Russian Navy rescues Arctic Sea crew near Cape Verde (18.8.2009)
  Missing Arctic Sea cargo vessel pursued by rumours and Russian Navy (14.8.2009)
  Director of shipping line: Arctic Sea probably hijacked (13.8.2009)
  Where are you, Arctic Sea? (9.8.2009)
  Freight vessel of Finnish shipping line targeted by mystery pirates in Swedish waters (31.7.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat