MOSCOW, August 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Finnish owner of the Arctic Sea ship, which was missing in the Atlantic for more than two weeks until it was found on Monday, wants reliable information on the crew, the Solchart company said on Friday.
The Maltese-flagged cargo vessel was found off Cape Verde on Monday with 15 Russian crewmembers and eight suspected hijackers on board. The ship was freed by the Russian Ladny missile frigate without a single shot being fired.
"We are appealing to all officials with a request to show humanity and provide Solchart with any reliable information on the crew and the vessel," Viktor Matveyev, managing director of the Finnish company, said.
He said the company had made inquiries to various organizations about the vessel and its crew, and on who was taking the ship to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and for what reason, but had received no reply.
The ship's 11 crew members and all eight of the alleged hijackers were flown to Russia on Thursday. The other four crew members of the Arctic Sea, including the captain, remain on board.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the ship was heading to Novorossiysk, where the investigation would be continued.
The head of an Arkhangelsk-based trade union of seamen said earlier the Arctic Sea crew had been unable to contact their relatives since they were freed. However, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office dismissed reports on Friday that the crew's rights and freedom of movement were restricted.
Four Estonians, two Latvians and two Russians arrested on board the vessel on suspicion of hijacking are currently being questioned in Russia.
A Moscow court on Friday gave approval for all the eight men accused of hijacking the cargo vessel to be held in custody.
