Mystery of the high seas

The world turned to the Baltic Sea this summer,when a cargo ship was hijacked by pirates and mysteriously disappeared.The cliches of a drunken pirate with a flag of a skulland crossbones, peg-leg, and eye patch have givenway to a new threat, and piracy is once again inthe news.

Modern pirate attacks involve far-reaching automaticweapons, grenades, and rocket launchers.The excessive ransom payments are said to fundfuture acts of terrorism. Off the coast of Somalia,near the Gulf of Aden, modern pirates captureships and threaten international trade.But in the Baltic Sea, piracy is not usually a causefor concern. It’s been more than 400 years sinceSlavic piracy has affected shipping transport. TheBaltic Sea is surrounded by fleets of powerful navalwarships and is one of the world’s busiest shippinglanes. Piracy in this area would be difficult giventhe close proximity of the ports and the added factorof possible visibility from land.

HIJACKED BY PIRATES
The ship in question, the M/V ARCTIC SEA, was transporting a cargo of timber worth 1.2 million euro from Finland to Algeria. According to the ship’s owners, the pirates boarded under cover of night on July 24, 2009, carrying guns and claiming to be police. Adding a bizarre twist, upon gaining control of the vessel, the hijackers attempted to paint over the ship’s name and identifying numbers. The pirates were reported leaving the vessel on an inflatable raft.

However, suspicion arose again when the ARCTIC SEA sailed off course and the tracking devices were turned off. A ransom demand was reported but not believed to be authentic. The expected arrival date (August 4) in the Algerian port passed, prompting an international search. A false sighting was reported near San Sebastian, then in the Bay of Biscay. The ships’ tracking devises were said to have reported a location off the coast of France, but this was later denied by the French navy. After nearly 21 days of mystery, on August 16, a Russian naval ship found the ARCTIC SEA and her crew nearly 480 kilometers off the coast of western Africa.

The hijackers were onboard and were taken into custody and the crewmembers extensively questioned. The ARCTIC SEA was then taken to a Russian port for inspection. This event with Baltic beginnings has vast international implications. In 1998, the ship (then called Jogaila) was registered under Lithuania, before transferring ownership to Malta in 2000. The ship set sail from Finland, and was hijacked in the Baltic Sea near Sweden, while transporting timber to Algeria. The search for the vessel was attended by warships from all over the world, but discovered by a Russian naval ship. Its crew of 15 was from Russia and Estonia, and the alleged hijackers were from Russia, Latvia, and Estonia.

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
As soon as the media outlets learned of the hijacking on July 24, speculation began as to the true nature of the events onboard. Piracy in the Baltic Sea seems unlikely, and the facts and details remain unclear with conflicting reports from various news agencies. Many suspect the cargo was not only timber, but nuclear weapons being traded illegally by Russia. Indeed, one of the first to suggest this theory of nuclear weapons trade The world turned to the Baltic Sea this summer, when a cargo ship was hijacked by pirates and mysteriously disappeared.

The cliches of a drunken pirate with a flag of a skull and crossbones, peg-leg, and eye patch have given way to a new threat, and piracy is once again in the news. Modern pirate attacks involve far-reaching automatic weapons, grenades, and rocket launchers. The excessive ransom payments are said to fund future acts of terrorism. Off the coast of Somalia, near the Gulf of Aden, modern pirates capture ships and threaten international trade. But in the Baltic Sea, piracy is not usually a cause for concern. It’s been more than 400 years since Slavic piracy has affected shipping transport. The Baltic Sea is surrounded by fleets of powerful naval warships and is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Piracy in this area would be difficult given the close proximity of the ports and the added factor of possible visibility from land.

CITY PAPER came from within Russia, by a journalist named Mikhail Voitenko. Mr. Voitenko is the editor of Sovfracht, an online maritime journal. After publishing a report claiming Russia and nuclear weapons were involved in the hijacking, he received a threatening phone call telling him to flee Moscow immediately or face arrest. He obliged, reporting this information to the BBC from Turkey. In addition to the absurd idea of pirates in the Baltic Sea, Russian officials themselves have given public statements which add to the mystery. Though the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that a search of the ARCTIC SEA found no suspicious cargo, several people close to the investigation have been quoted with opposing viewpoints. Interfax, a Russian news agency, quoted a Russian investigator involved in the case, Alexander Bastrykin as saying: “they might have been carrying not only timber.” Further adding to the confusion, Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian envoy to NATO, reported to the ITAR-Tass news agency that incorrect information was intentionally given to the media. The purpose was to enable the Russian navy to ensure the safety of the crewmembers onboard.

YO-HO, YO-HO, A PIRATES LIFE FOR ME?
The hijackers were captured by the Russian navy when the ship was discovered, and the four Estonians, two Latvians, and two Russians are being charged with piracy and armed kidnapping. One of the eight is being charged with masterminding the crime. All were brought to Moscow in a public media display, and currently await trial. Pirates are not usually prosecuted, either a bloody battle ensues when confronted, or they escape to the open ocean. In that sense, this incident continues to gain international attention, as a landmark case for future piracy charges.

Though the laws of prosecuting pirates differ from country to country, the evidence appears unavoidable, as the hijackers were discovered onboard the ARCTIC SEA. The pirates’ defense is no doubt restricted by forced confessions, limited evidence, and division of the group. In this case, there is one hijacker who is labeled as the mastermind, and the others, if convicted, will likely receive a lesser sentence. It’s possible there will also be a lawsuit over the delayed shipment timber, and perhaps more detail about the cargo will be revealed in the courts.

Though the details of the legal implications and the behind-the-scenes international relations game may not be known for some time, one thing is clear: the crewmembers and the alleged pirates in this case know the true story of what was on board and the reasons for steering the ship off course. The media can only speculate and sift through conflicting reports. And perhaps one day, an alleged pirate will write a book.