The 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, manned by a Russian crew 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.
Boarding incident
The ship was manned by a Russian crew of 15 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-speaking 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.