Malta-flagged ship 'hijacked' off Sweden

A Maltese registered ship was last week allegedly hijacked off Sweden, the Malta Maritime Authority said.

The authority said it was informed that several hooded and armed people in police uniforms on board a black dinghy which also bore the word Police boarded the Arctic Sea at about 3 a.m.

It said the crew was tied, gagged and blindfolded and some were seriously injured. They claimed they were aggressively questioned about drug trafficking.

Later, all crew members were released from their bindings but were locked in cabins until the "police" rummaged through the vessel.

The Maltese authorities have formally taken up the incident with the Swedish authorities who yesterday confirmed they were not involved in any way in the operation.

The MMA was informed that the Russian authorities had also taken up the incident with the Swedish authorities because some of the crew were of Russian nationality.

The authority is now referring the incident to the Swedish police and has informed the International Maritime Organisation and the International Maritime Bureau.