Arctic Sea: asking ransom?

The Finnish company that operates the vessel filed an official crime report with police in Finland who passed it on to Swedish police. Ransom demanded?
Finnish Radio
Finnish Police

Arctic Sea Transponder off the Ship?

A Russian maritime website claimed that the tracking system of the missing freighter Arctic Sea was broadcasting signals from the Bay of Biscay off France, although the vessel was reportedly seen off the west coast of Africa yesterday.

A posting on the Sovfrakht website said the signal appeared on a tracking service this morning, but added that it was unclear whether the automatic identifcation system equipment was still on board the ship.

Arctic Sea repainted and sold? A Phantom?

Consider the Asian model of piracy , in which ships are redocumented, repainted and sold under another identity. What if the target is not the cargo, or ransom, but the hull? Where is the now phantom ship? What about Western Sahara/Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)? Morocco reports that it is not in El Aaiun, a port which it 'occupies' but what about the 1,110 km coastline to the south?
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Maltese-flag Artic Sea IMO 8912792

The Arctic Sea may have been hijacked by pirates. The freighter, operated by Helsinki-based Oy Solchart Management AB, was scheduled to deliver a cargo of timber to Bejaia, Algeria on Aug. 4,
“It would appear that the ship has not approached the Straits of Gibraltar, which indicates that the ship headed out into the Atlantic Ocean,”

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No evidence of illegal cargo on MV Mu San

North Korean Freighter found in obscure spot.
MU SAN , IMO number : 7920596
The ship’s proximity to Myanmar, a North Korean ally, and the fact that it had no apparent reason to be in the area raised suspicions
The ship anchored without authorization in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a territory of India in the Bay of Bengal, last week, according to the Indian military.
After two days of searching and of questioning the crew, India’s Navy and Coast Guard handed the ship over to police and intelligence services, having found no evidence of illegal cargo, according to the Press Trust of India.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has long been suspected of buying North Korean arms as well as providing transit services for North Korean vessels engaged in illicit trade.

MU SAN
Vessel's Details:
Ship Type: Cargo
Year Built: 1981
Length x Breadth: 157 m X 25 m
DeadWeight: 17618 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 11.4 / 11.4 knots
Flag: DPR Korea [KP]
Call Sign: HMZG
IMO: 7920596, MMSI: 445100000

$1.8 million for Antigua and Barbuda-flag Victoria

The 146-metre MV Victoria, an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on May 5 while on its way to the port of Jeddah. It has a crew of 11 Romanians, aged between 22 and 64 and includes one woman. Somali pirates received a $1.8 million ransom for the release of a German-owned vessel and its 11-member crew, a tugboat had brought the ransom to the brigands.

Samoan vessel seized by pirates off Oman

TARMSTEDT INTERNATIONAL LTD of Samoa (Apia) has had a vessel seized by Somali pirates. Samoa is now the fastest growing offshore center in the South Pacific. A very business-friendly government seeks to stoke the engines of economic growth. Complete anonymity of owners is guaranteed by law. There is not a public register which makes finding the owner of a Samoan corporation very difficult, indeed. Thus, the Samoan company offers substantial privacy of ownership. Bearer shares are available.

MV CHARELLE has been sea-jacked off the coast of the Gulf Arab state of Oman. The small cargo ship with a gross tonnage of 2,800, owned by Tarmstedt International, was attacked on Friday afternoon around 60 nautical miles south of Sur on the Omani coast. This is the first recorded attack in the waters of the Sultanate of Oman. The German company has as registered owner her subsidiary TARMSTEDT INTERNATIONAL LTD in Samoa listed, while TRADEX MARINE LTD of New Zealand are the managers. The 1985 built vessel is insured with the Ship Owners' Mutual P&I Association of Luxembourg. The crew of the vessel is not covered by an ITF agreement and the crew of 9 usually comprises of seamen from Fiji, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.


CHARELLE

Vessel's Details:
Ship Type: Cargo
Year Built: 1985
Length x Breadth: 86 m X 22 m
DeadWeight: 2980 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 11.2 / 10 knots
Flag: Antigua Barbuda [AG]
Call Sign: V2RX
IMO: 8506452, MMSI: 304010427


Voyage Related Info (Last Received):
Draught: 4.2 m
Destination: HAMARIYA,UAE
ETA: 2009-05-29 06:00
Info Received: 2009-05-31 22:28 (12d, 13h 49min 59s ago)