Sweden warns of Baltic pirate danger in wake of Arctic Sea hijack
Shipping companies have been told to exercise the same vigilance in the Baltic Sea as they would off the coast of Somalia after the freighter Arctic Sea was hijacked off Sweden last month. [Meantime, the Somalia pilots, in 2010, continue to act with impunity since deadly force is not allowed to be used against them. I wonder if the ships sailing near that coast have thought to arm themselves with guns firing pigs blood and pig fat - since Muslims can't touch pork?]
The Swedish Shipowners Association told its members that while the hijacking, on July 24, was probably an isolated incident, such events could create an epidemic effect by inspiring copycat attacks.
Tryggve Ahlman, head of security at the Gothenburg-based association, said: "We've talked with the companies that are active in these waters.
"They’ve come to us with questions and its only natural that they increase their readiness. The procedures they have in the Gulf of Aden should be observed everywhere."
Pirates have seized 28 ships in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia so far this year [2009], and 136 piracy events have occurred, according to the US Navy.
After the release of the Italian-owned Buccaneer earlier this month, pirates were holding eight ships and at least 163 seamen, according to Ecoterra, an environmental group that monitors Somali piracy.
Sweden has provided warships and soldiers to the European Unions antipiracy operation, Atalanta, in the Gulf of Aden.
The Russian navy located the Arctic Sea, operated by Helsinki-based Oy Solchart Management AB, on August 17 near the Cape Verde Islands off west Africa, detaining eight suspected hijackers.
The armed group had boarded the freighter off Sweden on July 24, then forced the crew to change course toward Africa and turn off the navigational equipment, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.
The ship, with a crew of 15 Russian sailors, had been en route from Finland to Algeria.
The hijackers demanded a ransom of $1.5 million from the ships insurer, Renaissance Insurance, Vladimir Dushin, the company’s vice president for security, said yesterday. Renaissance received a call on August 3 from a person speaking English and claiming to be an intermediary for the hijackers, Dushin said.
Russias Defense Ministry today confirmed that a ransom demand had been made, and that the hijackers threatened to blow up the boat if it wasn't paid, Interfax reported.
The Arctic Seas 25-day odyssey sparked a wave of international speculation about its fate, including a reported sighting at the Spanish port of San Sebastian and a possible second attack off Portugal.
Swedes were shocked by the attack in their waters, since hijackings had been unknown off the country's coast since the 17th and 18th centuries, Ahlman said.
Some Swedish shippers said that while they were monitoring the security situation, their fleets were safe.
Were following developments with interest, but we see no threats against any of our ships, Haakan Thorell, chief executive officer of Karlstad-based Ahlmark Lines AB, said.
Ahlmark ships wood and petroleum products, steel, salt and coal between Sweden and the U.K, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Russian governments newspaper of record, reported that the 98-meter (322-foot) Arctic Sea was steered to the Cape Verde area because the waters there are difficult for submarines to navigate.
Russia initially planned to involve its submarine fleet, the newspaper said. Radio contact was lost when the freighter was off the coast of Portugal.
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