Argh! Suspected Pirates in English channel

[mongrel]

Where in the blazes were the Royal Navy?

A cargo ship feared to have been seized by pirates has disappeared while sailing through the Channel.

An international maritime hunt is underway for the Arctic Sea after contact was lost with the 3,988-tonne ship after its final call to Dover coastguards.

Nothing has been heard from the ship, which is carrying $1.85 million (£1.13 million) of timber, or its 15 Russian crew members since the routine contact on July 29.

The Russian Navy is searching for the Arctic Sea after sightings suggested that the officers and crew may have been coerced into taking the ship to Africa.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6790618.ece

[Phier]

Shiver me timbers!

Sounds more like a red October, only with wood.

[Farnan]

Were the pirates and the crew the same people?

[Markas]

The Russian Navy is searching for the Arctic Sea

Pirates have stolen The Arctic Sea! !

[Baron von Sky Hat]

The Russian Navy is searching for the Arctic Sea

Pirates have stolen The Arctic Sea! !

This is exactly what I thought when I saw that sentence!

It reminded me of various spoof news programs like `The Day Today', the radio version of which iirc, had a piece about Ireland having `come loose' from its moorings and was drifting out into the Atlantic. A man had been sent to swim down and re-tie the island, but hadn't been heard back from...
Also like another story in which the currency of the British pound had been stolen: `Bankers deny that the pound was only vulnerable because they had gotten it out at lunch time to play with and forgot to put it back...'.

As to the actual story itself, very strange indeed. That a ship of that size can just go missing like that so close to water as supposedly safe as the channel is quite surprising. Will be interesting to see when it turns up.
Would be cool if it turns up again in the place that it was last contacted, covered in damage and the scars of battle, and the crew refuse to talk about what happened........ "We've seen some things, man. Terrible, terrible things. The horror. The horror..."
Well, thinking about it, that actually happening would be pretty damned horrific, especially for the crew themselves... I take back what I said, and if it does happen, I refuse to be blamed...

[Richard]

The Russian Navy is searching for the Arctic Sea

Makes sense when you think about how much of their fleet isn't seaworthy. Of course they're not going to find it by sitting on land rusting.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Oh God. Noone is safe now.

Somalia must be carpet bombed to death in retaliation.

Even if they didn't it .

[Oldgamer]

Somalia must be carpet bombed to death in retaliation.

Even if they didn't it .

I'll vote for that! Bomb them back to the Stone Age! Oh, wait ...

[justicar5]

I'll vote for that! Bomb them back to the Stone Age! Oh, wait ...

surely stone age would be an improvement?

[Da Skinna]

Somalis: the new Vikings.

[Farnan]

What I'm saying is did the crew steal the cargo claiming to be attacked by pirates?

[Markas]

What I'm saying is did the crew steal the cargo claiming to be attacked by pirates?

Timber prices must have gone up.

[Farnan]

Timber prices must have gone up.

Well its about 1.12 million pounds in timber, split 15 ways. And then there are other money they can raise like demanding their own ransom.

Unless this made it all the way to the Channel:



Phier:

To add to the deepening mystery it has emerged that the Arctic Sea’s crew had reported being boarded by armed men claiming to be Swedish police in the Baltic Sea on July 24. The crew claimed to have been tied up in a 12-hour ordeal during which the raiders searched the ship before leaving empty-handed.

[Phier]

Phier:

Yes that was added to the weirdness but still no, the crew isn't claiming anything about this, as they are missing. The other incident had those guys leaving empty handed.

[Markas]

Well its about 1.12 million pounds in timber, split 15 ways. And then there are other money they can raise like demanding their own ransom.

You mean ransom... the wood? Are they going to threaten it with termites?

Maybe it was the Royal navy.

A new 180-gun Ship of the Line I hope.

[Farnan]

You mean ransom... the wood? Are they going to threaten it with termites?

Ransom themselves...


Or maybe its a smuggling ring.

[Phier]

What I'm saying is did the crew steal the cargo claiming to be attacked by pirates?

The supposed crew member said that the ship was due to arrive in Béjaïa, northern Algeria, at 11pm on August 3. Since then nothing has been heard from the 15 Russian crew members and there has been no trace of the £1.13 million cargo of timber.

The crew are not claiming anything at the moment, since no one knows where they are.

[6th Vigil]

Maybe it was the Royal navy.

[Father Jack]

I cant exactly see Somali Pirates, south China Sea pirates etc sailing all the way to the Channel. From the sounds of it we have some Baltic pirates or another Mary Celeste case.

[Moorish guy]

Somali will soon take over England by none other than the sea