New focus on port security
What everyone wanted to know was how, in these days of high technology, a 300ft freighter carrying a cargo of timber from Finland to Algeria could vanish without trace in the Atlantic Ocean.
There were rumours and speculation, but it was not until the Russian Navy seized the vessel near Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa, on 17 August that the truth began to emerge.
There are still conflicting accounts about the events surrounding its mysterious journey, but each has serious security implications.
The consensus of opinion within days of its capture suggests that eight hijackers boarded Arctic Sea on 24 July, off the Swedish coast, on the pretext of having a problem with their boat. This occurred one day after Arctic Sea had left the Finnish port of Jakobstad.
New focus on port security
