dansar
Well-Known Member
Just found this info . Thought it may be of interest.
FINNISH police investigating the disappearance of the cargo ship Arctic Sea told AFP news agency today that a ransom demand had been received.
Detective chief superintendent Jan Nyholm said: "Yes, it is true that there has been a demand for ransom, which is money.
"The demand has been made to the company which owns the ship, Solchart Management in Finland."
When contacted today to verify the claim, Solchart chief Viktor Matveyev replied "no comments".
The 4,706dwt Arctic Sea went missing at the end of July with 15 Russian seafarers on board. It was en route from Finland to the Algerian port of Bejaia with a cargo of sawn timber.
The ship was reportedly hijacked in Swedish waters after being boarded by a group of armed men claiming to be anti-drugs police.
Meanwhile, Russian reports today suggested that the vessel had briefly turned on its positioning device and was detected at 46.0932N 6.757967W at the southernmost tip of the Bay of Biscay, about 400 n-miles south of the last reported plot of the vessel off Brest in France.
If true, this indicates the vessel has been moving at a rate of about 1 n-mile per hour in the Bay of Biscay for two weeks.
The delay in releasing the alleged ransom claim, the behaviour of the company spokesmen and the position of the vessel combine to cast fresh doubt on the theory of a hostile takeover or hijacking.
FINNISH police investigating the disappearance of the cargo ship Arctic Sea told AFP news agency today that a ransom demand had been received.
Detective chief superintendent Jan Nyholm said: "Yes, it is true that there has been a demand for ransom, which is money.
"The demand has been made to the company which owns the ship, Solchart Management in Finland."
When contacted today to verify the claim, Solchart chief Viktor Matveyev replied "no comments".
The 4,706dwt Arctic Sea went missing at the end of July with 15 Russian seafarers on board. It was en route from Finland to the Algerian port of Bejaia with a cargo of sawn timber.
The ship was reportedly hijacked in Swedish waters after being boarded by a group of armed men claiming to be anti-drugs police.
Meanwhile, Russian reports today suggested that the vessel had briefly turned on its positioning device and was detected at 46.0932N 6.757967W at the southernmost tip of the Bay of Biscay, about 400 n-miles south of the last reported plot of the vessel off Brest in France.
If true, this indicates the vessel has been moving at a rate of about 1 n-mile per hour in the Bay of Biscay for two weeks.
The delay in releasing the alleged ransom claim, the behaviour of the company spokesmen and the position of the vessel combine to cast fresh doubt on the theory of a hostile takeover or hijacking.
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