MV Arctic Sea
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
 Outlines of Arctic Sea
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | list error: <br /> list (help) 1991: Okhotskoye 1996: Zim Venezuela 1998: Alrai 1998: Torm Senegal 2000: Jogaila 2005: Arctic Sea |
| Owner | Arctic Sea Ltd.[1] |
| Operator | Solchart Management AB[1] |
| Port of registry | list error: <br /> list (help) 1991: Soviet Union 1992: Malta 1998: Jamaica 1998: Lithuania 2005: Malta 2008: Finland[1] |
| Builder | Sedef Shipyard, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Yard number | 84 |
| Completed | 1991 |
| Identification | IMO number 8912792[1] |
| Status | Unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | KM* L1 A1 |
| Tonnage | 1618 tons (net tonnage) |
| Displacement | 7167 tons |
| Length | 97 m |
| Beam | 17.33 m |
| Draught | 5.62 m |
| Depth | 7 m |
| Propulsion | 1 diesel engine |
| Speed | 13.2 knots |
| Crew | 15 |
The MV Arctic Sea is a timber-carrying cargo ship that disappeared in July/August 2009. It is owned by the Malta-based company Arctic Sea Ltd. and is operated by the Solchart Management AB of Helsinki, Finland. On July 24, 2009, it was boarded by a group of men wearing police uniforms off the coast of Sweden, between the islands of Öland and Gotland. They left after about twelve hours, having searched the ship, removed some items and assaulted a few crew members. The incident was not immediately reported, and the ship continued to sail towards its destination port in Algeria. However all contact with the ship was lost on July 30–31, and it never arrived in Algeria. On August 14 the ship was reportedly located near Cape Verde, but remains missing.
Boarding incident
The ship, manned by a Russian crew of 15 people, was carrying a load of timber from Jakobstad, Finland to Béjaïa, Algeria when it was boarded in the early hours of July 24, 2009 by a group of eight to ten men, who approached on an inflatable boat, bearing the word polis (Swedish for "police").[2] The intruders, claiming to be police officers, apprehended the crew, injuring some of them, and searched the ship. Upon their departure some twelve hours later, the crew noticed that some communication equipment was damaged and that the emergency buoys were missing.[3] The circumstances of the incident were not immediately reported by the ship's captain, who furthermore decided not stop for an investigation, but to continue sailing to Algeria. Sweden later stated that its police force was not involved in boarding the vessel and launched an investigation.[4]
Possible second incident
On August 14, the European Commission stated that it had doubts that the vessel was the victim of piracy. Furthermore, it mentioned that the ship has been attacked twice. After the Swedish boarding incident the ship has been attacked a second time off the Portuguese coast. These actions "have nothing in common with traditional acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea", a spokesman for the Commission said.[5]
Disappearance
The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency had a last known radio contact with the vessel, as it was passing through the Strait of Dover on July 28.[6] Nothing extraordinary was detected during the communication, though it is now suspected that the crew was coerced not to raise an alarm by the presumed hijackers. The ship continued to send the Automatic Identification System signals until July 30. A press-secretary of the Swedish Police Service confirmed that one of its investigators had a phone contact with a crew member on July 31, but refused to disclose its nature.[4] No communication has occurred since then; the ship failed to come to Béjaïa on August 5, its scheduled arrival date, or ever since.[2] The coastal tracking radars last picked up the ship's signal just off the Brest, France; it was later observed by a patrol aircraft near the Portuguese coast.[7] The vessel was never seen passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. A hijack alert was issued by the Interpol on August 3.[6]
The Russian Navy dispatched ships of its Black Sea Fleet to search for the vessel; Portugal also conducted a similar operation.[7]
Possible rediscovery
On August 14 the ship was reportedly sighted 400 nautical miles off Cape Verde. The Russian ambassador to Cape Verde told Russian radio that a Russian frigate was heading to the area but that he had no information on the ship's location.[8]
Investigation
The Jakobstad fire department conducted radiation measurements on August 14 at the departure pier of the ship, but the investigation was stopped by the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, stating that there was no reason to conduct measurements.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Equasis". 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ a b Nieminen, Tommi (2009-08-09). "Where are you, Arctic Sea?". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ Sazonoff, Eugene (2009-08-11). "«Arctic Sea» продолжил плавание без «тревожной кнопки»". Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ a b Gracheva, Natalya (2009-08-13). "На поиск сухогруза Arctic Sea отправлены две наши подлодки". Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ "EU doubts missing ship was victim of pirates". 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|publihser=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Hunt on for 'hijacked cargo ship'". BBC News. 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ a b Walker, Peter (2009-08-11). "Mystery of the Arctic Sea: ship feared seized by pirates in European waters". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ "Missing ship 'found' off Africa". BBC News. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ "Arctic Sean laituripaikan luona Pietarsaaressa mittailtiin säteilyä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-14.