Piracy Fears as Cargo Ship Vanishes off England

LONDON, England (CNN) -- An international search operation was underway Wednesday for a cargo ship which vanished after being involved in what appears to be an unprecedented incident of piracy in European waters.

The Russian-crewed Arctic Sea, carrying a 6,500-ton cargo of timber from Finland to Algeria, was last heard of nearly two weeks ago when it passed through the English Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Russia said naval vessels authorised to use force were now hunting the vessel backed by "space-based" detection systems.

The Maltese-flagged Arctic Sea is believed to have been briefly hijacked off Sweden by raiders posing as drug enforcement officers who tied up, gagged and blindfolded the crew, causing several injuries, and searched the vessel.

Experts say acts of piracy are unheard of in heavily-policed European waters, with maritime crime largely restricted to areas such as Somalia in Africa where governments have little or no control over their ports.

The Arctic Sea apparently vanished after a last known contact on July 31, failing to make its scheduled arrival in north Africa on August 4. Maltese maritime officials said several governments were now trying to track down the ship.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has instructed the country's Defense Minister Anatoly Serduykov to "take all necessary measures to locate, monitor and, if necessary, to free the missing vessel," a statement said.

According to Swedish police and Maltese Maritime Authority (MMA) accounts, the Arctic Sea's troubles begain on July 24 when a group of between eight and 12 men boarded at 3 a.m., occupying the vessel for 12 hours.

They restrained the crew and questioned them about drug trafficking before locking them in their quarters.

"During their stay onboard, the members of the crew were allegedly assaulted, tied, gagged and blindfolded and some of them were seriously injured," an MMA statement said.

Swedish police spokeswoman Maria Lönegård said during the suspected hijack, the vessel's radar and satellite systems were off-line for two hours, during which it was witnessed performing "extreme maneuvers."

Since the crew believed they had been boarded by a genuine law enforcement agency, no police complaint was initially made, and the Arctic Sea continued on its way. Details eventually reached police through diplomatic channels.

Lönegård said Swedish police spoke with the Arctic Sea's captain on July 31, when the ship was believed to be off the coast of France. This is believed to be the last known contact with the vessel.

Earlier, on July 28, the ship had made contact with British coastguard -- a standard procedure as it passed through the busy waters of the English Channel -- but reported nothing untoward.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on it's Web site that Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Ladny was heading the search operation and had Wednesday passed through the Strait of Gibraltar en route to the Atlantic.

While piracy levels have recently increased off the coast of East Africa, incidents in European waters are unheard of, according to UK maritime experts.

"Attacks on ships are extremely rare, basically they don't happen," said Jeremy Harrison of the British Chamber of Shipping.

Approximately 400 ships pass daily through the Dover Strait -- the narrowest stretch of the English Channel -- and all are required to check in with either British of French coastguards.

The Arctic Sea is Maltese-flagged and Latvian-owned but operated by Finnish firm Solchart Management. Its cargo of sawn timber is owned by another Finnish company, Stora Enso.

Stora Enso told CNN it had no idea of the whereabouts of the ship or its cargo, which it said was worth €50,000 ($70,000).