Russian investigations into the hijacking of the Maltese-registered cargo ship Arctic Sea have been concluded, and the ship will be handed over to Maltese authorities, the BBC has reported.

It said critics of the Russian government are insisting that the investigation was a cover-up, and the ship was smuggling a secret cargo to a third country.

A Russian journalist is in hiding after claiming the ship had a secret cargo

The Arctic Sea vanished in July days after leaving Finland with an apparent cargo of timber destined for the Algerian port of Bejaia.It turned up 300 miles (480km) off West Africa in mid-August.

Russia says it was a simple case of hijacking and that the Maltese-flagged ship and its 15 crew were saved by the Russian navy.

Last month journalist, Mikhail Voitenko, alleged the ship was carrying a secret military cargo.

He has now gone into hiding in Thailand after receiving threats.

Speaking from there by telephone he told the BBC he was sure the Russian naval operation to seize the Arctic freighter was an elaborate charade to cover up what was in its cargo hold.

Earlier this month, eight men, including Russian, Estonian and Latvian nationals, were charged with hijacking and piracy.

In Moscow the lawyer representing one of the alleged pirates has also accused the Russian authorities of involvement in the hijacking.

He said that if Russia did take part in the hijacking of a foreign-registered ship it would be an international scandal, verging on an act of war.