Candyce Kelshall on the Arctic Sea Mystery

 

The Arctic Sea: What are we Really Looking For? By Candyce Kelshall, BUCSIS Fellow and Maritime Security Expert

A vessel collected her cargo in Jakobstad Finland on 23^rd July. She proceeded underway until 24^th July when, at 3 am, she was boarded using maritime specialist tactics from a fast rigid inflatable boat marked “POLIS” by alleged police operatives who wore black special operations uniforms, knew hand to hand combat and who were intimate with the ship’s communications equipment and technology.

They stormed the bridge via the bridge wings and tied up the crew, beat the watch officer and duty watchman. The rest of the 15 man crew were also bought on the bridge and subjected to ‘hard questioning’ about the cargo and about drugs. They then smashed up the communication equipment and collected all mobile and satellite phones and left after twelve hours of rummaging.

This is the report the crew gave to the ship’s company. The ship’s operating company ‘Solichart’ interviewed each crew member and ascertained that there were injuries such as broken teeth and bruising which were subsequently reported.

The story then becomes complex. If these were pirates who were after financial gain they had succeeded as they had captured the cargo. If they were pirates who wanted a ship for ransom or terrorists securing a deadly or hazardous hidden cargo, it was theirs.  Instead, according to the company, they left with nothing but phones.

The ship delayed reporting the incident to the authorities, according to the company because its communications equipment was damaged. Yet the ship continued on its journey and without putting into port to make police reports and repairs, continued with its radios suddenly able to work in order for it to gain entry and pass through Dover without arousing suspicion. Once through Dover and into the Atlantic, just off Brest, its AIS ship tracker, mandatory in International Maritime law, was switched off. At that point all communication with the ship ceased. Or so we have been told.

If the hijackers were still on board and the radios and electronic equipment working how and why was the crew able to make contact with the ship’s company and report the incident? Surely the attackers, now in control of the vessel would not wish details to emerge. How and why was the ship able to communicate by email with Sweden’s National Criminal Police according to Swedish Daily Helsingin Sanomat quoting the Deputy Head of the Unit Tommy Hydfors. Surely hijackers in command of the vessel would not speak to the police unless complex negotiating was taking place.

If negotiating was taking place and communication was established then why is it that Coastal authorities were not aware of the ongoing live incident as it passed through their waters until after the fact. Interpol and Borderpol exist for these very reasons along with the myriad of agreements in place to share information of this nature for all our joint and mutual safety and protection- Europe has one border now. If this were the case then why was the AIS signal disrupted and radio and radar silence ensue only after clearing Dover? The equipment cannot have been damaged hence late reporting, but working, only to be damaged again after clearing the last checkpoint at Dover?

Clearly all the information relating to this incident is not what it seems. This becomes even more apparent when the escalation and urgency to find this vessel has taken on epic proportions. Russia seems utterly focused on finding this ship. Under the orders of President Dimitry Medvedev, all Russian Navy ships in the Atlantic have been sent to join the search for the Arctic Sea,” Navy commander Vladimir Vysotsky said, Itar-Tass reported. This is the same country which has been criticised in the past over sluggish attempts to save stricken sailors in a series of maritime mishaps beginning with the KIRSK in 2000, K159 in 2003 and Vepr in 2008. Its concern for the welfare of these sailors is to be noted as exceptional.

The question has to be asked however - is it in fact the crew that the entire Russian Navy in the Atlantic is currently searching for. If it is not, then what is it that someone went through great expense to equip, train, fund and hijack the vessel for? What is it that is so important that people are going to such dramatic lengths to retrieve, or keep, or stop from reaching its destination? We should be concerned.