The Investigative Committee announced Wednesday that it had completed a monthlong examination of the Arctic Sea cargo ship off western Africa and would release it.
The owner of the Maltese-flagged ship said it had been forced into bankruptcy because of the “uncoordinated actions” of the investigators.
Viktor Matveyev, CEO of Arctic Sea LTD Malta, the ship’s owner, railed against the Investigative Committee for holding the vessel for so long and for preventing company representatives from boarding, despite promises to the contrary. The company has gone bankrupt “as a result of the uncoordinated actions of the Investigative Committee,” Matveyev said in a statement.
Solchart, which owns Arctic Sea LTD Malta, expressed doubt that the ship would be returned. “At the moment, the Investigative Committee’s statement is only words. Let’s see if they return it,” Solchart spokesman Sergei Kurashin said by phone from Helsinki.
Investigators gave few details about their activities on the Arctic Sea since the Navy announced the seizure of the ship and eight suspected hijackers on Aug. 17. Investigators said Maltese maritime and police officials had helped examine the ship and Spanish officials would assist in its handover to its owner on Thursday or Friday at the Canary Islands port of Las Palmas. Investigators earlier said the Arctic Sea was en route to the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk and would be thoroughly examined once it docked there.
Much remains unexplained about what happened and why pirates would target a ship carrying just $1.8 million in lumber. The uncertainty has prompted speculation that the ship was carrying a secret cargo of missiles for Iran that was detected by Israeli intelligence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to Moscow last week that media reports have linked to the Arctic Sea.
Authorities say the Arctic Sea was hijacked on July 24 off the coast of Sweden. The eight suspected hijackers have said they are environmentalists who ran out fuel and were picked up by the Arctic Sea but then taken captive.
“They were going to work at a Spain-related environmental company and decided to practice their naval skills,” Omar Akhmedov, a lawyer who represents Latvian suspect Dmitry Savins, told reporters Wednesday.
Another lawyer for Savins, Agons Rusanovs said the suspects decided to become environmentalists because of the economic crisis. “People are just taking any job opportunity,” he said.