Disappearance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Arctic_Sea
Route of the Arctic Sea
The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency had the last known radio contact with the vessel as it was passing through the Strait of Dover on July 28.[17] Nothing extraordinary was detected during the communication, though authorities believe that the crew was coerced not to raise an alarm by the hijackers.[18] The ship continued to send the Automatic Identification System signals until July 30. A press-secretary of the Swedish Police Service confirmed that one of its investigators had a phone contact with a crew member on July 31, but refused to disclose its nature.[15] No communication occurred after that; the ship failed to come to Béjaïa on its scheduled arrival date, August 5.[13] The coastal tracking radars last picked up the ship’s signal near Brest, France; it was later reported being observed by a patrol aircraft near the Portuguese coast.[18] The vessel was never seen passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. A hijack alert was issued by Interpol on August 3.[17]
The Russian Navy dispatched ships of its Black Sea Fleet to search for the vessel; Portugal also conducted a similar operation.[18][19]
[edit]Discovery
On August 14 the ship was reportedly sighted off Cape Verde. The Russian ambassador to Cape Verde stated that a Russian frigate was heading to the area but that the detection had not been confirmed. Meanwhile an unnamed military official stated that the ship had indeed been found but that the location was being kept secret from the public for security reasons, without clarifying the statement further.[20]
The Defense Minister of Russia, Anatoliy Serdyukov, announced on August 17 that the ship had been found and seized off the Cape Verde Islands. All 15 crew members were said to be alive and well; they were transferred to the Ladnyy, a Krivak-class frigate, for questioning. At that time no additional details were given. Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s ambassador to NATO mentioned to the press on August 17 that false information was deliberately supplied to the media in order to keep Russian plans secret.[21]
After the ship’s seizure the Malta Maritime Authority stated that the security committee—composed of Maltese, Finnish and Swedish authorities—were aware of the ship’s location at all times, but withheld the information to protect the crew.[22
The Arctic Sea was obviously carrying secret cargo of strategic value. And you are right to say that the Iranian connection looks like a smokescreen. For those who do not understand the Russian General Staff’s operational method, I will quote the words of former GRU Colonel Stanislav Lunev: “If you ever hear that Arab terrorists have attacked an American city with nuclear weapons, don’t believe it.” He said it would be Russian special forces commandos conducting the attack. I asked him what followed this initial nuclear terrorism phase, and he said, “After a period of weeks or months the Russian missiles will come [to finish the job].” Instead of making an elaborate explanation I will list a few concepts: (1) A decapitation attack to eliminate all those with the authority to launch nuclear retaliation strikes; (2) diversionary attacks to conceal the identity of the real attackers; (3) disarming attacks to eliminate remaining nuclear weapons.
There’s got to be a “mooring after”,
If we can hold onto the night.....
>>>>The Arctic Sea was obviously carrying secret cargo of strategic value.<<<<<
Ever heard of a superpower souvereignity concept? America once had it too.
It means if some filthy pirates or militias or 3rd world dictator are capturing ship waving your flag and threatening your people you are sending military to teach them a lesson they won’t forget.
No matter is cargo valuable or not.