Russia claims ship ‘hijackers’ made ransom demand

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.

Russia on Tuesday arrested eight people on suspicion of hijacking the Arctic Sea off the Swedish coast and sailing it to the Atlantic Ocean, ending weeks of silence about the fate of a ship which has intrigued European maritime authorities.

The limited information from Russian authorities has failed to satisfy sceptics who voiced doubts about whether the piracy actually took place or was a convenient cover story to conceal a possible secret cargo of arms or nuclear material.

“The crew members have already confirmed that the captors demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the vessel if their orders were not obeyed,” Interfax quoted a Russian Defence Ministry spokesman as saying.

“The crew members also claim that the people who seized the Arctic Sea were armed and got rid of their weapons when the ship [Russian navy ship] Ladny ordered the dry cargo carrier’s crew to stop the vessel,” he said.

Climbing gear, flares and a high-speed inflatable boat supposedly used in the hijack were found aboard the Arctic Sea,RIA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying at a briefing for Russianmedia.

The ransom was believed to be in the region $1.5m (about €1m).

The Maltese-registered, Russian-crewed vessel and its $1.3m cargo of timber disappeared from radar screens three weeks ago, prompting speculation ranging from an attack by an organised crime gang to a top-secret spy mission.