Mystery clouds Arctic Sea recovery off West Africa

EIGHT pirates have been arrested by the Russian navy for involvement in the hijacking of the timber carrier Arctic Sea, reports The Associated Press.

Why pirates took the ship, its size now given at 4,700 deadweight tons, and its cargo of timber off Gotland Island in Sweden, remains a mystery. The Russian navy, which intercepted the vessel of the coast of West Africa were reported to be questioning the suspects and 15 crewmen.

The Russian frigate Ladnyy took the freighter near Cape Verde, far from its destination of Algiers. According to Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the pirate suspects are Estonians, Latvians and Russians and were arrested without offering resistance.

The Arctic Sea left the Finnish port of Pietarsaari July 21, was boarded by armed men July 24 off Sweden. Earlier reports said the attackers left in an inflatable craft 12 hours later. However, all communication with the ship ceased on July 28 after the ship's owner received a radio message concerning the boarding.

Mikhail Voitenko, the editor of the online Maritime Bulletin Sovfracht, which specialises in anti-piracy consulting, expressed bewilderment. "The operation cost more than the cargo and ship combined," he said, adding that there must have been more on that ship than a load of lumber.

The value of the lumber is estimated at less than US$2 million and the ship is 18 years old.

(Source: www.schednet.com)