Short Timeline of Two Akula subs incident in relation to missing Arctic Sea
7/24: the Arctic Sea was hijacked off the coast of Sweden
8/4: NYT cites US defense officials in report of 2 Russian Akula-class submarines patrolling off the US East Coast
8/5: Deputy chief of staff of Russian military confirms the details of the NYT report
8/12: Russian patrol combatant vessel, Ladnyy, passes thru Gibraltar. The Russian Navy confirms that up to five vessels will be involved in the hunt.
8/14: Reports claim President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the Russian navy to join the hunt for a cargo ship which disappeared after passing through the English Channel.
8/17: Arctic Sea was found near Cape Verde
8/18: Russian authorities arrest 8 suspects in connection to the hijacking
-I see no reports linking the 2 Akulas to the two subs that hunted for the Arctic Sea.
Russian Navy response present and past

  • According to the English-language news page of the Kremlin’s own website:
    On Monday, President Dmitry Medvedev submitted a draft law to the State Duma that would entitle the Kremlin, for the first time, to deploy Russian military forces overseas at its discretion “to protect Russian citizens” and to “combat piracy.” The very next day, Mr. Medvedev ordered Russian forces into action to “find, and if need be, free the ship Arctic Sea.”
  • A NavalTask Force fromRussia’s Black Sea Fleet together with other Russian Black Sea Fleet shipswere in the Mediterranean ontheir way to Kaliningrad forthe Russianexercise ‘West 2009′ butthe Naval Task Force wasdivertedand after itcrossed the Straight of Gibraltar itentered the Atlantic and set sail, straightfor the Cape Verde Islands.
  • The Russian navy denied a report that the frigate Ladny was pursuing a ship similar to the Arctic Sea just south of Gibraltar. The report, picked up by state news agencies and television, originated with maritime expert Mikhail Voitenko, editor of Russia’s online Maritime Bulletin, who cited a source in the Defence Ministry.
  • 8/17: radiation tests have now been carried out at the port where the ship started its ill-fated voyage.
  • The Russian Navy dismissed on Thursday media reports that the Black Sea frigate Ladny had been pursuing a ship in the Atlantic that resembled the missingArctic Seacargo vessel

Russian naval deployments in past incidents:
4/16/09: Earlier this week, as per the agreement between Russia and the Ukraine, Russian officials notified the Ukraine that 22 of its Black Sea Fleet vessels will leave Sevastopol for military maneuvers. Those ships were expected to depart earlier this week, but it was noteworthy when all of the amphibious ships deployed first rather than all of the ships at once. The Black Sea Fleet has now deployed all 22 ships, which is getting some attention in the region because regional news reports have noted the Russian military exercises taking place in the Caucasus since the political turmoil and protests began last week in Georgia.
9/22/08 report: four vessels from the Northern Fleet set sail towards the Caribbean for the first time since the Cold War to take part in a joint naval exercise with Venezuela. They were led by the guided missile cruiser Peter the Great, one of the largest warships of its kind. The Kirov-class warship is equipped with cruise missiles that can be armed with nuclear warheads. It was accompanied by the Admiral Chabanenko, an anti-submarine destroyer, and two support vessels.

5/26-6/6/08: A Russian rescue vessel, the RFS Titov, carrying a Deep Submergeance Rescue Vehicle (DRSV), participated in a NATO submarine search-and-rescue exercise in the North Sea.

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The missing vessel Arctic Sea, with a Russian crew on board, had enough fuel and food to support its operation until September, the ship's operator said on Friday, as suspicions grow that it may have been hijacked.

The ship left port in Finland with a supply of food for 45 days and fuel for 40 days, Ivan Boiko, deputy director of the Arkhangelsk-based company Solchart Arkhangelsk, told the Itar-Tassnews agency.

There should be no problems with drinking water because there was a water-desalination plant on board, he added.

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TWO SISTER ships of the missing Arctic Sea capsized and foundered, LR-Fairplay casualty figures indicate. The figures also revealed that two other sister ships suffered serious stability-related incidents. First, the 1990-built Teklivka sank in the Mediterranean in March 2006 in heavy weather, with a cargo of containers; 15 crew members were rescued but one was lost. Also, the 1991-built Tiger Force was abandoned by its crew after it developed a list in 1998 and later sank. In 2004, Nova Spirit (built 1991) also developed a list in the Mediterranean Sea in heavy weather with a cargo of containers on board. This vessel was later taken in tow to safety. The most high-profile case involved the 1992-built Torm Alexandra, which almost capsized while discharging boxes alongside in Abidjan, Nigeria. LR-Fairplay records indicate that Arctic Sea was built for Sakhalin Shipping as Okhotskoye. It had three subsequent owners before being bought in March 2005 by current owner Solchart. The class records of the vessel indicate the current class society as the Russian Maritime Register, having been transferred from Lloyd's Register in 2005. A total of 22 vessels of this design were constructed from 1990 to 1993 by Sedef Gemi in Turkey using a Russian design. Arctic Sea has been missing since July with a crew of 15 Russian seafarers. From safetyatsea.net....can't seem to reaccess the site without a login
List, in ship terminology, apparently means a slant, title, lean, incline, or pitch [all spatial related]
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It had enough food and fuel to last through the end of the month, the ship's Russian operator said. Article from today 8.14
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A spokesman for the Swedish Coast Guard said the last known hijacking of a vessel in Swedish waters occurred in the 16th century.

"The only way a ship can disappear is if someone has actually turned off the ship's beacon," said Natasha Brown of the United Nations' International Maritime Organization. "But if this is done, you could only find the ship if you actively searched for it with a plane or helicopter."

UPDATED DETAILS [as of 2 pm CST Fri Aug 14]

Ship supposedly spotted 400 nm from Cape Verde Islands. OS list

  • Map (2)
  • The Russian frigate Ladny is heading toward Cape Verde in the western Atlantic in search of the missing Arctic Sea cargo vessel (1)
  • It was last reported by German media to be traced to an area northwest of the island of Santo Antao, Cape Verde's second-largest port. (1)
  • According to Medvedev, Solchart requested state assistance in the search-and-rescue operation (1)
  • (1)
  • The 15 sailors are Siberian (2)
  • Ship owned by Russians; registered in Malta (2)
  • Owned by Russian firm Solchart Arkhangelsk (2)
  • Ship on contract for Finnish lumber company, Rets Timber (2)
  • The company took a week to report the July 24 hijacking, and so Interpol issued its alert on Aug 3rd (2)
  • (2)
  • The Swedish daily Metro said it spoke by telephone with someone who claimed to be the Arctic Sea captain on July 31 about the reported hijacking in the Baltic Sea. (3)
  • "They were dressed in black uniforms," the newspaper quoted the captain as saying. "They resembled American elite soldiers and seemed very professional. They said they were looking for cocaine, which should have been loaded in Kaliningrad. They spoke English, with some kind of accent." (3)
  • The director of the ship's Finland-based operator, Solchart, refused to speculate on what had happened.
  • "It's a mystery, a tragedy for all family members and the crew, and we're just praying for all of them," Viktor Matveyev said, speaking Russian. He had answered a call to his cell phone from Moscow after refusing to take calls made from Finland. (3)
  • Sochart's Helsinki office is located in an exclusive residential area on the seafront. No one answered the door. The view through the front window was of a disheveled, nearly empty office. (3)
  • the Russian navy turned all of its vessels in the Atlantic — including three landing ships, a frigate and two nuclear-powered submarines — to search. The Defense Ministry said Thursday it was also using satellites. (3)
  • Finnish Police said they were assisting in the investigation, and France said it was in "regular contact with the authorities concerned by this affair, notably the Maltese authorities." (3)
  • Nick Blackmore, editor of the magazine Safety at Sea International, said some vessels of similar specifications built in the same Turkish yard as Arctic Sea had capsized, foundered or suffered serious stability-related incidents. But he said timber floating on the sea somewhere would probably be evident if the ship had sunk. (3)
  • Just after the Arctic Sea's July 28 contact, it passed through the busy Dover Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The ship had given what appeared to be a routine report — identifying itself and its cargo, and saying where it had come from and where it was going, said Mark Clark of Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency. (3)
  • (3) 8.13
  • Maria Lönegård, the head of the investigation at the Swedish police, say that the shipping line has been cooperative. “We received the crew’s accounts of the events from the shipping line in writing. We also received pictures of their injuries. There were bruises and detached teeth.”

It took several days before Swedish police learned that the incident had taken place. “We would like to know the reason for this, mainly from the captain of the ship”, Hydfors says.
He adds that the shipping line reported the incident to the Russian Embassy; the ship’s crew are all Russians. Apparently, the diplomats reported the event to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, and from there the news went to the ministry of Defence and the coast guard, and finally, to the police.
Viktor Matvejev, CEO of the shipping line Solchart Management, says that the company immediately contacted the authorities in Malta. “They said that the information had been passed on to the Swedish Coast Guard.” Date on this article is unclear

On July 26, her captain sent his last text message to his wife: “I am well. We have lots of work.”

radio contact has been broken off and the beacon has been unreadable.

The Arctic Sea, originally called Okhotsk when built in 1991, is owned by Latvian-based Aquachart SIA and operated by Russian firm Solchart Arkhangelsk.
Read more:

All the crew were hired in Arkhangelsk.

A wife of one of the sailors on the Arctic Sea told reporters she received a very odd SMS-message on July 28. It only said "too much work to do," and contained no usual phrases such as "love" or "I miss you," as if it had been sent under duress.

OLD INFO EXCEPT FOR EMBEDDED ANSWERS

The Case of the Hijacked Arctic Sea

FACTS & TIMELINE

  • 4,000 tonne 98-meter bulk carrier
  • 15 Russian crew aboard
  • Maltese-registered; Finnish-chartered; Latvian-owned; operating from Russian (with a Russian crew, correct? Yes, said to be 15 Siberian crew members; all hired in Arkhangelsk)port of Arkhangelsk
  • Was sailing from Finland to the port of Bejaia, Algeria
  • Was due to have landed in Algeria on August 4
  • Said to be carrying $1.3 million load of timber
  • Ship was built in 1991 [another site says 1992]
  • While the ship's operating company, Solchart Management, is in Finland, officials believe it is linked to the Russia-based Solchart Arkhangelsk and the company registered in Malta that owns the ship.
  • Before collecting its cargo of timber the ship had been repaired at the Pregol shipyard in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave notorious for smuggling.
  • Russian warships, by order of Kremlin, are on the hunt for the ship
  • Concerns arose when the Malta Maritime Authority received reports that the ship had been boarded by armed men in masks posing as anti-drug police in Swedish waters on July 24
  • There were 12 armed men masquerading as anti-narcotics officers. They were in high-speed inflatables bearing police markings.(any indication of nationality? Another article referenced above said they spoke “English, with some kind of accent.”Which language/country would use the word “Polis” for police?Looks like Sweden is one of those countries)
  • Malta Maritime Authority officials have said that, during the armed boarding, crew members were subjected to "hard" questioning related to drug trafficking
  • Boat left Jacobstad in Finland on July 23 and was hijacked July 24 in Swedish waters of the Swedish islands of Oland and Gotland by masked hijackers in a high-speed rubber boat
  • MailonSunday.co.uk article said masked hijackers “are thought to have been Russian gangsters”(what’s this based on?Article did not say)
  • Swedish authorities said none of its LE agencies had been involved
  • Malta says the crew members were assaulted, tied, gagged, blindfolded, and some seriously hurt
  • Went missing shortly after passing through the DoverStrait [English Channel] b/w FranceBritain
  • Last radio contact with the ArcticSea was on July 28 from the DoverStrait between Britain and France. Shortly afterwards an electronic signal showing its location was turned off.
  • After 12 hours, they apparently disembarked and sped away, breaking radio and other communications gear but without taking anything of value, the crew reported to the Maltese Maritime Authority, where the ship is registered. Instead of making port after the incident, the ship continued on its trip.(this is the most strange part of this case. Try to find some standard protocol for what happens if a ship is attacked like this. Seems logical that they ‘d go into port immediately afterwards to get fixed up.It seems that each country and shipping company would likely have their own procedures regarding this and remember this isn’t Somalia, so there really isn’t a precedence for how you react to an illegal ship boarding in the Baltic Sea. Maybe these guys have never had to deal with this before, or if they’re still under control of bad guys, then that explains their behavior. But standard response in Somalia area is to sound the alarm, activate fire hoses, engage in evasive maneuvers, and contact the appropriate authorities, but the ships in Somalia/Gulf of Aden usually keep trekking after attempted hijackings.)
  • The ship was last heard from July 28, when it radioed the Dover, England, Coast Guard because it was approaching the English Channel. In a call the Coast Guard called routine, the ship said that it was en route to the Algerian port of Bejaia, where it was due to arrive Aug. 4. The last time its position was recorded by tracking equipment was July 30, when it was off the coast of the northern French town of Brest. On Aug. 2, the ship was spotted by Portuguese coastal patrol planes.
  • Ship may have been carrying secret cargo
  • The events were reported to the Swedish police in a round-about way.
  • A police spokeswoman told the BBC that the ship's crew first alerted their shipping company to what had happened. The firm then informed Russian embassy officials in Finland, who contacted their counterparts in Sweden who informed the Swedish authorities. [GH--What I find interesting is that when the shipping company found out, they told the Russian embassy in Finland first. Maybe that makes sense since the crew is Russian, and they had just left Finland. Or maybe it would have made more sense to contact the Swedish or even Finnish authorities, since they were in Swedish waters/had just left Finland.]
  • However, spokeswoman Ylva Voxby told AFP that detectives expected the ArcticSea to return soon. "The boat is planned to return to the Baltic at the end of August. We are planning to interview the crew then," she said. (sounds like wishful thinkingI agree)
  • the signal was lost about 50 miles off Penzance on July 30
  • Swedish police said an investigator had spoken briefly to the crew on July 31 when the vessel was in the Atlantic after sailing through the DoverStrait
  • The head of division at Sweden's national crime police, Maria Lonegard, told Reuters Television that the ship had behaved erratically in the Baltic Sea
  • She played down fears of piracy, saying a written statement about events on the ship had been communicated from the vessel to the Finnish operator and then to Swedish police
  • Relatives of the crew appealed to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in an open letter and demanded a criminal investigation into the vessel's disappearance, Russian media reported, but have now stopped speaking publicly about the case.
  • Russia's navy denied a report on state television that the frigate Ladny was following a ship of a similar description in the Atlantic Ocean not far from Gibraltar.
  • A Portuguese coastal spotter aircraft is reported to have seen the ArcticSea some distance of its coast at the 41st North degree of latitude on August 1.

Commander João Barbosa, a Portuguese Navy spokesman, said in a carefully worded statement: “We have been monitoring the situation and can confirm that this ship is not and never has been in the Portuguese jurisdiction.” (huh? 50 miles is outside their jurisdiction? check to see how far out Port. Territorial waters goEvery State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12nautical miles [22 km], measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention. From UN Law of the Seas