Arctic Sea: off the map for 12 hours

The phantom vessel Arctic Sea has turned off its AIS transponder? The last position twelve hours ago, is compared to the AIS range being displayed.

Arctic Sea: Crew waiting for money to enter Béjaïa

23/11/2009 Crew Arctic Sea will receive a salary
Natalya Gracheva (sob.korr. Komsomolskaya Pravda). Stockholm
Before I give permission for port call cargo ship in the port Béjaïa for unloading, late last week, the vessel was double-checked the territorial waters of Algeria.authorities organized a thorough inspection of Arctic Sea, conducting full-scale study includes examining, on levels of radiation. The examination procedure, take several days, was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Emergency and military authorities of Algeria. The vessel was found absolutely clean, and in an official letter from the Ministry of Transport said Arctic Sea rose, at last, for unloading at the port Béjaïa. We managed to get through to director Solchart Victor Matveev, to ask about salary seafarers. Recall, according to the union of seamen debt for the period from August 17 was to pay Russia, under the jurisdiction with which this number was the ship. However, the situation of seafarers and their families can not wait to address this issue for a long time, so we decided to once again appeal to the employer. The answer was unexpected. All this time we have been seeking reserves and resources. As a result, despite the fact that a subsidiary company - Arctic Sea Malta - is in distress, we decided to open a credit line from the Finnish company to fully compensate for the sailors forced to stay aboard the cargo ship. We agreed with the union scheme of payments for all debts, including - for the period in which the vessel will remain under the jurisdiction of Russia. Monday, November 23, will go first tranche and we will do everything to ensure that seafarers have received all their due in the near future. Arctic Sea will now work in the Far East. Were there any thoughts to change its name? Perhaps remained negative associations, prejudices? After dozens of tests were conducted, organized by the authorities of different countries - Russia, Malta, Algeria and others - we decided to keep the name of the ship. And the crew, and our company but survived everything: danger, and attacks Press, and all sorts of suspicions. I think that the Arctic Sea could be proud to wear his name.
Have you made any changes in security?
We have modernized the system of notification and signaling, it is more modern than today require international rules of navigation.One can say that in this sense, the Arctic Sea has become the most advanced. Protection Plan was also revised, improved, although in the past conform to all applicable regulations. Equip the team members is not possible, they have no right to carry weapons.

Arctic Sea: BEJAIA, Algeria doesn't record arrival

Victor Matveev as a younger sailor in Russian navy
Victor Matveev as Managing director,CEO
Oy Solchart Management AB, Helsinki – Commercial managers

Oy Solchart Ltd, Helsinki – Commercial managers

Victor Matveev
Managing director,CEO

BEJAIA, Algeria arrivals

Arctic Sea: the Crew's story

Hey, what will we use for a North Korean Flag?
The Sunday Times gives a full account of the story now told by the crew. The Korean ploy is explained as follows:
"The crew said that when the Ladny first made radio contact with the Arctic Sea , Savin sought to fool its Russian navy officers by claiming the ship was North Korean - the hijackers had also painted over Solchart’s emblem on the deck."

===>>> One could wonder about the Russian statement at the time that "Both the name and an identification number painted on the Arctic Sea's stern belong to a North Korean bulk carrier that was docked in Angola at the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, but it offered no further explanation."

And the pictures provided show lettering that is more likely naval than work of the Latvian bravos that boarded the vessel, a paint job by the Frigate's artful sailors.

And a final nagging detail. Note how the IMO number on the stern is not square with the rest: can you imagine a spook saying to the seamen - "no, no, go back and use the right number."

Arctic Sea: escorted by AFM P-61 off Malta

The Arctic Sea is currently just off Malta's territorial waters escorted by a Maltese patrol boat, It is to be inspected by the Maltese authorities before being allowed into Malta.

The handover to its Finnish [sic] owners is expected to take place before the ship enters Grand Harbour, possibly tomorrow.

Arctic Sea: a floating object?

Viktor Matveyev, Solchart Finland, the reputed manager of the Arctic Sea claims on its website that this statement comes from Las Palmas. Gran Canaria:

The free translation of the Port Captain decision.

1) vessel has Russian Military armed on board

2) Vessel is custody by the Russian Army units out of Spanish
territorial waters, its mean that vessel has been taken by this authority as
the Malta state does not recover their protection.

3) Due to the previous 2nd paragraph, the flag state control ( Malta) must foce the vessel to comply with the article 94 (bargain of unit nations) agreed in Montego Bay Dec. 10th 1.982. and specially in what respect to the security of the persons on board, navigation and see waters medium. Due to that and taking in consideration that vessel has not flag state and did not comply with other mentioned requisites, we do not consider to Artic Sea like a merchant vessel but like a floating object taken by the foreign naval army.

In view of that, the Port Captain does not authorize the navigation of
Arctic Sea in Spanish sea waters.

Sounds like Viktor Matveyev is preparing his defense against Finnish/Baltic Powers charges

Arctic Sea: Who is in charge here?

Malta insists that the responsibility of the Arctic Sea ship rests with its owners and not with the flag country. It is not the owner of the ship and therefore cannot assume the full responsibility for it, including preparation of documents for the ship’s port call. It contacted the owners of the freighter and told them that the vessel cannot continue sailing until it undergoes the needed repairs, examination and certification. It should be certified that the Arctic Sea ship meets all the navigation requirements.
Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office spokesman, Vladimir Markin, described Malta's refusal to take part in the handover of the ship as "inconsistent and illogical," and said it ran counter to the international convention on the law of the sea. Spain's Foreign Ministry held intensive talks with Russian and Maltese ambassadors on Sep. 16 and on Sep. 17 morning. Spanish authorities gave permission for the Arctic Sea, the Ladny frigate, which freed the cargo vessel from hijackers, and a Russian tug boat to call at Las Palmas on Sep 15, but cancelled the decision on Sep. 16 without giving any explanation after Malta refused to take part in the handover of the ship, at the Spanish port.

The ship is registered in the Maltese port of Valletta.
The Arctic Sea is primarily owned by a Malta-based company, Arctic Sea Ltd. which is owned by Oy White Sea Ltd. According to the Finnish Trade Registry, Victor Matveev (Viktor Matvejev), a Russian citizen living in Finland holds 70 per cent of Oy White Sea Ltd’s shares. The rest are owned by two other Russian men living in Finland. The rest of the ship may well by owned by Solchart Askhangelsk Ltd of Finland, since it claims ownership of the ship in an article by Cristina Batog, a graduate of Georgetown University, specializing in Russia and Eastern Europe quoting director and assistant director Nikolai Karpenkov and Ivan Boiko in Askhangelsk, Russia. Arctic Sea's captain is 50-year-old Sergei Zaretsky. He has remained in charge on the vessel with three others although the crew was repatriated to Russia and professionally interrogated. He is said to have claimed that the vessel was really North Korean and loaded with palm oil. His wife, Yelena Zaretskaya, at last report had not heard from him.

Arctic Sea: alleged hijackers deny everything

Leaving court on Friday, Dmitry Bartenev said: "We were caught in a storm and were forced to evacuate to the nearest ship."

Defendant Dmitry Bartenev, 41, an unemployed Russian citizen living in Estonia, was dragged handcuffed through the court room and arrested. His head bowed in a cage, he said solving the maritime mystery was not in Russia's jurisdiction.

"A Russian court does not have the right to hear this case. The alleged illegal act happened in Swedish waters on a ship with a Maltese flag."

Maltese-flagged cargo vessel Arctic Sea is owned by Solchart, based in Finland with Russian executives. "We are appealing to all officials with a request to show humanity and provide Solchart with any reliable information on the crew and the vessel," Viktor Matveyev, managing director of the Finnish company, said.