With piracy along the horn of Africa creating such a buzz in the media, it is a common misconception that the act is confined to this area where onshore conditions have forced many into a life of hijacking ships for ransom. In reality, a look back at the International Maritime Bureau’s Live Piracy Maps from previous years, it is obvious that piracy on the high seas is in fact a world wide occurrence and not confined to any one geographical area.
However, the recent disappearance of the russian-crewed Arctic Sea after transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes leaves experts scratching their heads and has forced an international search operation to be put underway. CNN has the story:
An international search operation was underway Wednesday for a cargo ship which vanished after being involved in what is feared to be an unprecedented incident of piracy in European waters.
The Russian-crewed Arctic Sea, carrying a 6,500-ton cargo of timber from Finland to Algeria, was last heard of nearly two weeks ago when it passed through the English Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Russia said naval vessels authorised to use force were now hunting the vessel backed by “space-based” detection systems.
The Maltese-flagged Arctic Sea is claimed to have been briefly hijacked off Sweden when raiders posing as drug enforcement officers tied up, gagged and blindfolded the crew, causing several injuries, and searched the vessel.
It then apparently vanished after a last known contact on July 31, failing to make its scheduled arrival in north Africa on August 4. READ FULL ARTICLE
While the London based International Maritime Bureau, which tracks ship piracy worldwide, said it did not believe the Arctic Sea had fallen into the hands of pirates, a number of questions remain surrounding this incident. Stay tuned as more developments on this story are sure to arise.
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The story around Arctic Sea is very strange!
The so called “raiders” were all wearing standard uniform, without insignia. They were all armed with automatic weapons and introduced themselves as “police”. Let’s not forget that this all is happening in Swedish territorial waters!
So after they boarded the vessel they locked the crew in one room, interrogated them and performed a thorough search of the vessel. Didn’t find anything and left.
So now start the strange things, all this gets out as a sms from one of the crew members. Swedish authorities claim they have nothing to do with the raiders and call them bandits.
The owner decides not to do anything and the vessel proceeds on route. And she disappears after the English Channel.
Panic was raised only 4 days after the vessel didn’t arrive at destination port, by the crew relatives! The owner released an official statement only a week after. All the official statements are: a search is going to be underway. But to date (a week after vessel disappeared) now real search has yet begun or planned! Nobody is doing anything! The only one asking questions is Stora Enso the cargo owner! The owner of the vessel is not doing anything, and the relatives of the crew are also quiet now.
So what is really happening?! Did the “raiders” leave the vessel at all? Or did they found what they were looking for and stay on board?
Why after an unprecedented attack by armed men and disappearance of a vessel nothing except press statements is really being done?!
To me it looks like the “raiders” were exactly who they claimed to be – people working for the government. And seen as the vessel is gone, it’s safe to assume they found what they were looking for.
Let’s hope that the crew survives this ordeal unharmed.