Russia arrests suspected ship hijackers
Published: 18 August, 2009, 16:07
TAGS: Crime, Russia, Europe, Piracy
The Russian frigate Ladny has freed the “Arctic Sea” cargo ship in the Atlantic without firing a shot and arrested eight alleged hijackers, according to the country’s Defense Ministry.
“The hijackers boarded the ‘Arctic Sea’, threatened the crew with weapons and demanded that their orders be followed,” RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia’s Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
Serdyukov reported to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that the hijackers ordered the cargo ship's crew to shut down all communications and navigation equipment, and in this condition the "Arctic Sea" was sailing toward the African continent.
The eight detainees are from Estonia, Latvia and Russia.
None of the crew was injured in the rescue operation, the minister said.
A criminal case has been opened over the abduction of the crew of the "Arctic Sea", the Russia’s Prosecutor Investigative Committee informed.
“We have opened a criminal case into the abduction of Russian citizens, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison,” said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigative committee.
Some explanations floating around suggest that the ship’s crew might themselves have been involved in the plot. However, Mikhail Voitenko from Russia’s Maritime Bulletin thinks this is unlikely.
“I just can’t imagine these 15 Russian men, with families left at home, agreeing to something so risky,” Voitenko told RT. “Why would they do that? Why would they put their lives on the line, knowing their families are waiting for them at home?”
In yet another turn of events, the maritime authorities in Malta revealed on Tuesday that they knew the location of the “Arctic Sea” all along.
A report published by the authorities states that “the location and movements of the ‘Arctic Sea’ cargo ship were known for several days”; however, officially it was stated that the vessel “disappeared,” TASS reports.
The report also noted that the respective maritime services of Finland, Sweden and Malta came to an agreement that the information should not be publicized to maintain the safety of the ship and those onboard.
Estonia’s response
Russia hasn’t informed Tallinn about the possible involvement of Estonian citizens in the 'Arctic Sea' ship capture, said Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Paet.
According to Paet, the Estonian government contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia’s Embassy in Estonia, Russian Interpol department, FSB and Russia’s Defense Ministry, but none of the institutions have provided them with information about the Estonians detained by the Russian Navy.
The Estonian Minister noted that Russia and Estonia have a consular agreement that gives both sides three days to inform the other country about the detention of a citizen. Russia hasn’t broken the agreement because it still has two more days to officially inform Estonia about the detainee.
Paet reminded that according to the International Law, pirates detained in international waters cannot be tried according to the laws of the country making the arrest. As for Estonia, it has declared that it has no reason to issue an indictment in the hijacking.
Lost ship found – mystery remains
The Russian crew of a cargo ship “Arctic Sea”, which has been missing for almost three weeks, is on the way home. Their disappearance puzzled experts and officials across Europe.
18.08.2009, 15:21
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I really dont care where the pirates are from,be it Somali or Estonian. What ever nation intercepts them has the right to deal with them especially if their nationals were taken hostage. This ship taking business seems to be spreading fast and needs to be controlled.
Isn't the Estonian ambassador talking to the Russians? If Russia has been holding an Estonian citizen "incommunicado" then I would expect the diplomats to already be talking. Or, you could always send a message to Lavrov directly? This website still has a link for comments to the Foreign Minister. (I don't expect he will answer directly, though.)
Enough information has now come to light to where the damagingly anti-Estonian half-truths that Russian officialdom and media have heretofore reported can be laid to rest. Those reports had constantly referred to detainees from Estonia, as if Estonia and Estonians were somehow involved. The fact is that of the six “Estonian” detainees, two are Russian citizens with Estonian residency permits, one is a Russian who has Estonian citizenship, and three are Russians who have residency permits in Estonia but who have taken out neither Estonian nor Russian citizenship. These Russians hijacked a ship owned by other Russians in Finland, and crewed by Russians, at least one of whom was reportedly in league with the hijackers. A Russian effort from beginning to end, it seems – in football terms, an “own goal”.