MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax-AVN) - A court has ruled to put the Arctic Sea cargo vessel under arrest at a request by the Investigative Committee within the Russian prosecution system.
"To determine all circumstances of the crime, the investigation intends to find out what cargo the Arctic Sea was carrying," Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee, told Interfax on Wednesday.
As the vessel can be searched only after a court puts it under arrest, the Investigative Committee made such a request, he said.
"This request was granted today," he said.
"Thus, in line with international law, the Arctic Sea, which was sailing under a Maltese flag and which was released [from hijackers] by a Russian military ship, is currently under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, whose representative is the captain of the Russian military ship," Markin said.
Investigators will start searching the vessel in the near future, he said.