Key developments in Atlantic search for missing ship Arctic Sea

September 23rd, 2009 Search under way in AK waters for ship passengerANCHORAGE, Alaska — A search has been launched in the waters of southeast Alaska and Canada for a 67-year-old woman reported missing from a cruise ship. The passenger, who hasn't been identified, was noticed missing Wednesday morning when she didn't leave the Sapphire Princess at the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia.

September 10th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The search was still on Thursday to find the missing Russian engineer of a cargo ship that sank off Orissa's Paradip coast Wednesday, officials said. Twenty six of the 27 crew members onboard the ship have been rescued.

August 27th, 2009 Russia charges 8 in Arctic Sea caseMOSCOW — Russia has formally filed criminal charges against eight alleged hijackers of the freighter Arctic Sea, whose voyage is still heavily shrouded in mystery. The General Prosecutor's Investigative Committee said Thursday seven of the suspects are being charged with kidnapping and piracy and the eighth with organizing the crimes.

August 26th, 2009 Russia to seek help probing Arctic Sea mysteryMOSCOW — Russian authorities say they will ask other nations to help answer questions about a freighter embroiled in a high-seas mystery. But an official suggests Russia wants firm control of the probe into the voyage of the Arctic Sea and its alleged hijacking.

August 25th, 2009 Russia: Freighter search found no suspicious cargoMOSCOW — Russia moved to quash speculation that a freighter embroiled in a high-seas mystery might have been carrying sensitive cargo, saying Tuesday that an initial search of the Arctic Sea last week uncovered nothing suspicious. But the Foreign Ministry statement — which also said the Arctic Sea's captain had falsely claimed it was a North Korean ship headed from Cuba to Sierra Leone — appeared unlikely to end the questions about the vessel and its voyage.

August 20th, 2009 Developments in the search for the ship Arctic SeaKey developments in the voyage of the freighter Arctic Sea. July 21 — Arctic Sea departs from Finnish port carrying timber bound for Algeria, with a 15-man Russian crew.

August 19th, 2009 Russia insist ship hijackers sought ransomMOSCOW — The Russian Defense Ministry insists that the hijackers of the Arctic Sea ship demanded ransom. The ship's alleged disapearance last week is the focus of an international investigation.

August 15th, 2009 Report: Vanished ship's signal appears off FranceMOSCOW — A Russian maritime Web site said the tracking system for a freighter missing since last month was broadcasting signals on Saturday from the Bay of Biscay, but French Marines said the signals were coming from Russian warships. The contradictory claims deepened the mystery surrounding the ship, the Arctic Sea.

August 15th, 2009 Finland says ransom demanded for missing shipMOSCOW — A ransom demand has been received for the return of a Russian-manned freighter that went missing last month in the Atlantic, Finnish investigators said Saturday. It was not immediately clear if the ransom demand was legitimate, and the whereabouts of the Arctic Sea, its 15 crew members and its €1.3 million ($1.8 million) cargo of timber remain a mystery.

August 15th, 2009 MOSCOW - A tracking device aboard a cargo ship, missing since late July, was briefly reactivated Saturday, showing the vessel's location in the Bay of Biscay, a Russian maritime journal said. Sovfrakht said the cargo ship was in the Atlantic near France's La Rochelle port, citing data from the tracking device at 08:30 GMT.

August 15th, 2009 Reports conflict over vanished ship's whereaboutsMOSCOW — A Russian maritime Web site said the tracking system for a freighter missing since last month was broadcasting signals on Saturday from the Bay of Biscay, but French Marines said the signals were coming from Russian warships. The contradictory claims deepened the mystery surrounding the ship, the Arctic Sea.

August 14th, 2009 Missing ship reported as far south as Cape VerdeMOSCOW — The search for a Russian-manned cargo ship that vanished last month in the Atlantic reached far south along the West African coast Friday with unconfirmed reports of sightings near Cape Verde. The Arctic Sea — carrying a load of timber and 15 Russian sailors — passed through the English Channel on July 28.

August 14th, 2009 France: missing cargo ship found near Cape VerdePARIS — The French Defense Ministry says a Russian-manned cargo that vanished in the Atlantic last month has been found near Cape Verde. Ministry spokesman Capt.

August 13th, 2009 Russian navy searches Atlantic for missing shipMOSCOW — The disappearance of a Russian-manned cargo ship in the Atlantic more than two weeks ago spawned a variety of theories and intriguing reports Thursday as the search drew in investigators from across Europe. Russia had naval vessels and satellites scanning the ocean for the Arctic Sea — last heard from on July 28 while sailing through the English Channel with a €1.3 million ($1.8 million) cargo of timber.

July 31st, 2009 STOCKHOLM - Six crewmembers of a Norwegian cargo ship were missing Friday after the vessel sank off the coast of Sweden, officials said. The cargo ship Langeland was on its way to Moss in Norway when the incident took place.