Moscow, Aug 18 (RIA Novosti) The Russian Navy has freed a cargo ship in the Atlantic without firing a single shot and eight suspected hijackers were arrested, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Tuesday.

The Arctic Sea vessel was located 480 km off Cape Verde Monday after being missing in the Atlantic for over two weeks. In addition to 15 crew of the vessel, there were eight other unidentified people on board.

Serdyukov said a speedboat carrying four Estonians, two Latvians and two Russians approached the Arctic Sea in the Swedish territorial waters July 24.

'The hijackers boarded the Arctic Sea, threatened the crew with weapons and demanded that their orders be followed. The Arctic Sea was on route to Africa with all of its communications and navigation equipment shut down, as ordered by the hijackers,' the minister told President Dmitry Medvedev.

The eight hijackers were arrested by the Russian Navy personnel.