Russia, NATO work closely on missing ship

BRUSSELS, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Russia's envoy to NATO says his country's navy is maintaining constant contact with the alliance in the search for a missing Russian cargo ship.

"All the exhaustive information, which we do have and which is most likely objective, is instantly reported to the (Russian) naval headquarters," Dmitry Rogozin told RIA Novosti late Saturday, declining to comment on the vessel's whereabouts.

The ship Arctic Sea has been missing since late July after setting out from Finland with a load of lumber bound for Algeria. Investigators believe it was hijacked briefly in Swedish waters and then released, while some reports indicated the ship may now be near the Cape Verde islands.

"As partners, we (Russia and NATO) are currently facing the sole task of sending to the right location and at the right time the forces dispatched by the Russian president," Rogozin told the news service.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the country's Navy to search for the Arctic Sea, and the frigate Ladny was heading toward Cape Verde in the western Atlantic on Friday, diplomatic sources said.