Pirates in Northern Europe?
 

It doesn't seem likely IMO. At least in Somalia, once they board the ship they can take it to a friendly port and hold the ship for ransom. But where could they possibly go in Northern Europe?

The last AIS entry for this vessel is from July the 29th, which puts it smack dead center in the western end of the Channel.

From the story, it seemed they reported being boarded and that the assailants left after around 12 hours. The whole thing is very odd.

EDIT: According to AIS it sailed through the Baltic Sea, around Denmark, passing through the Skaggerag, entered the North Sea and proceded on a south-westerly course.

EDIT 2: Link to AIS iternary for "ARCTIC SEA"
http://marinetraffic.com/ais/datashe...app=&B1=Search

Medvedev has ordered the Russian Navy to search for it, including some nuclear subs apparently:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8197248.stm

Very random occurance, unusual to get pirates in European waters, well, this side of the 15th century anyway.

Russian Mafia perhaps? :hmmm:

Looks like high-jacking.

I knew it, those treacherous French are at it again!

Vikings Reborn.. maybe they need the timber for their Longboats? :hmmm:

To arms my men, we fight the villainous foe!

http://www.murphsplace.com/crowe/ima...rprise-063.jpg

.....


*locks up his fiance*

Could be a Russian 'Philadelphia' type experiment....the testing of a new cloaking device....or perhaps she simply foundered in rough weather and didn't get off a distress call :hmmm:

Whats the betting its one bunch of heroin smugglers screwing over another bunch?

If the pirates sank the ship we may never know what was on board ...

Something they wanted was on board thats for sure ...

Sounds like the beginning of a James Bond movie, but of course it's not ...

Very interesting :yep:

I remember I read about this about two weeks ago, but thought it was a joke or something.... pirates in Baltic Sea :arrgh!:, not for the last 6-700 years or more....

:hmmm:

Maybe it really is some kind of mafia related crime, extorsion or something. Maybe they have loaded the wood from The Arctic Sea to another ship and scuttled The Arctic Sea.

Media refer to "unspecified intelligence sources" that the ship lies unrecognised in an African harbour. If so, I would assume it to be likely that thanks to the inconsistent way in which the piracy at Somalia is adressed (or better: not adressed), the example of the somali pirates has spread. And why not if these pirates show the world since 18 months that their business model works so well. Success triggers copying, doesn't it.

Piracy has always been across the globe and will always be across the globe no msteer what happens or doesn't happen in Somalia, theonly reson you link Somalia with recent piracy is because of the recent headlines.
All the time it was going on off W.Africa , the China sea and S. America not a whisper ...but now its just the somalis that must be the prime example.

Even if you discount privateering you are several hundred years out, piracy in the Baltic didn't die out after the big guild wars

But not in the North Sea and English channel in modern times. Trying hard not to see that, eh? The English channel is not the street of Malacca.

Of course you are right , Antwerp is not on the north sea and 2006 is not modern times which is why a bulk freighter was not involved in a pirate boarding in Feb. 2006 .
Its lucky Liverpool isn't on the North sea or the attempted act of piracy on another bulk freighter in July 2007 would be even more modern.
Though on to other european waters....its lucky Corsica isn't in the straights of Malacca as otherwise pirates would have been doing pirate stuff there in Dec.2008.
Thanks for putting me right as my ignorance might lead me to make simple mistakes when the relevant information is so very easily accesible.

Do they know if it is still afloat?

After closer inspection of the evidence, we found: Ferret fur, an empty bag of ferret snacks, a copy of "Play Ferret" with the centerfold missing, and an empty bottle of Finlandia.

http://ralphlosey.files.wordpress.co...hersellers.jpg