'Ransom demand' for missing ship

Helsinki, 15 Aug-(ANA)-Finnish police say a ransom demand has been made for a missing Russian-manned cargo vessel, the Arctic Sea.

The demand - which has not been confirmed as genuine - was put to the ship's Finnish owners, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said.

A Finnish radio station said it had been told the 15 crew members' lives would be at risk if it was not paid.

Mystery surrounds the location of the Arctic Sea, last sighted in the Bay of Biscay on 30 July.

The 4,000-tonne Maltese-flagged vessel, which had been carrying timber, went off radar after passing through the English Channel.

A recent sighting off Africa's Cape Verde islands is still to be confirmed.

There has been huge speculation over the reason for the ship's disappearance, ranging from pirates to a mafia dispute to a commercial quarrel.

The matter is being jointly investigated by Finnish, Maltese and Swedish police. (ANA)

FA/ANA/15 August 2009---