Russia Finds Missing Cargo Ship Off African Coast

The Russian Navy located a cargo ship missing since late July, the New York Times reported. The ship, its crew of 15 and a cargo of timber worth approximately $2 million were all safe off the Cape Verde Coast, according to the report.

The Russian Federation Ministry of Defence on Aug. 14 denied earlier rumors that patrol ship Ladnyy had found the cargo ship Arctic Sea. The ministry said Ladnyy and other ships were still searching.

But the Interfax news agency on Monday quoted Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying the crew was safe and Navy officials were questioning them. The Arctic Sea was discovered at 1 a.m. Monday, Moscow time, Serdyukov said.

The ship disappeared off the coast of Portugal after reports of an earlier boarding (“Cargo Ship Disappears”). There is still no word as to the cause of the disappearance. Piracy in European waters is unheard of since the 17th century.

Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.