THE hijackers of a cargo ship that disappeared off the coast of France threatened to blow it up if their ransom demands were not met, Russian news agencies reported yesterday.

Maritime chiefs admitted that they always knew where the “missing” freighter Arctic Sea was, but agreed to keep silent in a bid to bring a dangerous hijacking drama to a bloodless end.

THE Russian navy has arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to west Africa — the latest twist in a puzzling maritime mystery.

Eight suspects in the hijacking of the Arctic Sea freighter are reported to have been detained.

A “pirate” freighter that went missing nearly three weeks ago has been found near Cape Verde with its crew is alive and well, Russia said today.

A ransom demand has been made for a freighter which disappeared more than two weeks ago, Finnish investigators said today.

The missing cargo ship which reportedly sailed through the English Channel after it had been boarded by pirates, will only have enough fuel to last a few more days at sea, a maritime expert said today.

THE missing “pirate” ship Arctic Sea was spotted far out to sea off Africa’s west coast.

The missing “pirate” ship Arctic Sea was spotted today far out to sea off Africa’s west coast.

RUSSIAN navy vessels were patrolling the Atlantic yesterday in search of a Maltese-flagged ship that has been missing for more than two weeks since sailing through the English Channel.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin today warned that the country’s far east was increasingly isolated from the rest of Russia, and failure to exploit the region’s vast natural resources threatened national security.

The European Parliament has called on EU member states to support its proposal for promoting the route of the former Iron Curtain diving Eastern and Western Europe as a tourist trail.