Arctic Sea leaves Malta

The Maltese registered vessel Arctic Sea left the Grand Harbour this afternoon headed towards its original destination port namely, Algerian port of Bejaia.

The ship entered Valletta to undergo repairs and to conduct the required surveys for the issue of operating certificates in accordance with international conventions on October 29.

This brings to an end a saga which began when the ship was reportedly hijacked in the Baltic Sea in July.

The freighter was recovered by Russian forces off the Cape Verde Islands in August and had been under Russian Navy control until it was handed over to its Finnish owners off Malta.

Mystery has surrounded the Russian-crewed ship, with international media saying it might have been carrying radioactive material or weapons. Both Russia and the Finnish owners denied the reports, insisting it was only carrying timber.

The ship was towed into Grand Harbour by a Maltese tug because it had steering problems. It also required repairs to its communications equipment.