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| Missing ship 'found' off Africa | Missing ship 'found' off Africa |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A missing ship with 15 Russian crew members on board has been spotted more than two weeks after it disappeared, unconfirmed reports say. | A missing ship with 15 Russian crew members on board has been spotted more than two weeks after it disappeared, unconfirmed reports say. |
| The Arctic Sea had last been sighted in the Bay of Biscay on 30 July. | The Arctic Sea had last been sighted in the Bay of Biscay on 30 July. |
| A coastguard source told AFP news agency it had now been seen some 400 nautical miles from the Cape Verde islands, off West Africa. | A coastguard source told AFP news agency it had now been seen some 400 nautical miles from the Cape Verde islands, off West Africa. |
| Russian navy ships have been searching for the 4,000-tonne Maltese-flagged vessel, which had been carrying timber. | Russian navy ships have been searching for the 4,000-tonne Maltese-flagged vessel, which had been carrying timber. |
| Observers have suggested the ship was hijacked, possibly because of a Russian commercial dispute. | |
| There was no immediate confirmation of the sighting from Russian authorities. | There was no immediate confirmation of the sighting from Russian authorities. |
| The Russian ambassador to Cape Verde, Alexander Karpushin, said a Russian frigate was heading to the area but had no information on the Arctic Sea's location, Associated Press reported, quoting Russian radio. | |
| Five Russian warships and other vessels have been searching the Atlantic for it. | |
| A French Defence Ministry spokesman told AP that French officials had found a ship resembling the Arctic Sea near the Cape Verde islands, and had notified Russian and Maltese authorities. | |
| Carrying timber reportedly worth $1.8m (£1.1m), the Arctic Sea sailed from Finland and had been scheduled to dock in the Algerian port of Bejaia on 4 August. | Carrying timber reportedly worth $1.8m (£1.1m), the Arctic Sea sailed from Finland and had been scheduled to dock in the Algerian port of Bejaia on 4 August. |
| The ship had reported being boarded by up to 10 armed men as it sailed through the Baltic Sea on 24 July, but the intruders were reported to have left the vessel on an inflatable boat after 12 hours. | The ship had reported being boarded by up to 10 armed men as it sailed through the Baltic Sea on 24 July, but the intruders were reported to have left the vessel on an inflatable boat after 12 hours. |
| Nato was monitoring the situation due to the unusual nature of the attack in that area, but was not directly involved in the search. |