Remember the Russian cargo ship MV Arctic Sea that allegedly disappeared after being hijacked? Experts familiar with piracy say the ship’s ordeal was anything but a typical piracy, as the ship officially carried a load of timber worth a mere $1.8 million. It was also allegedly hijacked in a busy European shipping lane where piracy is extremely rare.

A Russian journalist who was among the first to discount the official story has been told in a mysterious phone call to flee the country or be arrested: advice which he successfully took. This fuels further speculation that the MV Arctic Sea was carrying more than the load of timber that was officially reported.

Some think the ship was carrying unsanctioned cruise missiles and anti-aircraft units bound for Iran. Other speculation suggests that the Israeli Mossad or top officials in Russia found out about the smuggling operation and initiated the “hijacking” to intercept the shipment. The alleged arms shipment, some say, may have been put together by high Russian officials acting outside of the law, a “weapons mafia” as one Russian general termed it.

What is clear is that many media reports about the ship’s disappearance were deliberate falsehoods designed to disguise the real activity surrounding the ship. I suppose it will be a long time, if ever, that the public learns the truth about this mysterious incident.