MOSCOW: The missing cargo ship Arctic Sea was found Monday off the coast of Cape Verde and its Russian crew transferred in good condition to a Russian naval vessel, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.

"The crew has been transferred aboard our anti-submarine ship," Serdyukov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying in a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev.

He said the ship was spotted early Monday off the West African Cape Verde archipelago and all members of the crew were "alive, healthy and are not under armed guard," but initial reports contained no further details on the operation.

"Debriefing is under way to clarify all aspects of the disappearance and loss of signal from this vessel," Serdyukov said.

"In the coming hours we will explain what happened with it, why communications with it were lost, why it changed its itinerary."

The news agencies quoted Medvedev as saying that "all interested parties" had been informed of the discovery of the Arctic Sea and the transfer of the crew to the Russian warship, the submarine hunter Ladny.

The Russian president called for a full investigation of the mystery surrounding the Arctic Sea, but none of the report said anything about what had happened to the vessel itself following the crew's evacuation.

The Maltese-flagged Russian cargo ship set sail from Finland on July 23 on its way to Algeria with a cargo of sawn timber estimated to be worth 1.16 million euros.

All contact with the ship however was lost shortly thereafter amid reports of multiple pirate hijackings, a zig-zagging itinerary and speculation that the vessel was carrying a secret, illicit cargo.