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Posted on 10/18/2005 1:21:00 AM PDT by HAL9000
MURMANSK, October 18 (RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Kozlova) - The captain of a Russian trawler at the center of a scandal in the Barents Sea said Tuesday that he could not rule out a collision with a Norwegian Coast Guard patrol boat. "I reserve the right to set on a collision course since I no longer hope for any help," the captain of the trawler, the Elektron, said. "The crew will be rescued, if necessary, by the Grigory Arloshkin, that is moving on a parallel course." Norwegian Coast Guards detained the Elektron on Saturday off the Spitsbergen archipelago for allegedly breaching fishing regulations. Two Norwegian Coast Guard inspectors boarded the trawler and ordered the captain to proceed to the port of Tromso for further investigation.The captain, however, refused to obey the order, and headed for Russian territorial waters instead. Four Norwegian Coast Guard boats started chasing the trawler and tried to stop it on Monday night.
A spokesman for the Murmansk department of the Federal Security Service said that a patrol ship would be sent to meet the Elektron to take the Norwegian officials and return them home. Then the Elektron will be escorted to the port of Murmansk for further investigation, the spokesman said.
"There is a group of 50 Russian fishing vessels about 100 nautical miles ahead of the trawler," the FSB official said. "Presumably the captain hopes to reach the group and try to get lost among the Russian boats." He added that it would take the Elektron at least 10 to 15 hours to get there in a storm that is affecting the area.
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said the ministry was in constant contact with the Norwegian authorities, while the Russian navy has ruled out interfering in the situation.
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May I suggest-
The mighty bear steps in Norwegian hornets nest again. The difference between a canoe and a Norwegian is...sometimes a canoe will tip.
Arctic drama heats up
The captain of a Russian trawler claimed Tuesday that the Norwegian Coast Guard had launched firebombs at his vessel. Two Norwegian inspectors are on board the trawler, which the Coast Guard is trying to arrest because of alleged fishing and environmental violations.
The drama that began in the Barents Sea over the weekend heated up on Tuesday. Four Norwegian coast guard vessels were tracking the trawler Elektron, in an ongoing effort to get it to stop or set course for Tromsø in northern Norway.
The Norwegians have accused the Elektron's crew of violating fishing and pollution regulations in the area. Two Norwegian inspectors were still on board the trawler when it started defying a Norwegian arrest order on Sunday and sailed towards Russia instead of Norway.
The Norwegians were considering firing at the vessel on Monday, but held back. Russian media later reported that the captain was claiming his vessel was under fire.
The reports, however, were denied by Russian border patrol officials. Vladimir Berjochin of the border patrol station in Murmansk said the Norwegians merely fired signal flares, as a way of trying to enforce their message that the trawler should stop. He even noted that the Norwegians had shown restraint in trying to arrest the trawler.
Russian authorities nonetheless sent out a patrol boat to meet the Elektron and escort it into Murmansk. The trawler was located about 200 nautical miles from land but reportedly entered Russian waters mid-morning.
Thats what communism leads too. Lack of maintains is one of the reason communism fell. It gets expensive when nothing gets enough maintains and rusts
Wonder if the Russian tub has any old KGB equipment on board...
this is too funny, the scandinavians want him for environmental charges????? what did he do, throw a cigarette butt in the ocean? my money is on the russian, ballsy guy, full speed ahead.
"Wonder if the Russian tub has any old KGB equipment on board..."
That pretty much sums it up.
If only our Navy would take this attitude with the Spanish.
Boat captians oft times flush out their bilges and tanks which is illegal. Loads of GOD knows what.
That Russian Trawler looks like a Reaver ship </Serenity>
Then why would the skipper run the risk of a kidnapping charge, if he could just flush and run, whether it's fish, drugs or whatever? Kidnapping isn't something the captain can claim ignorance of. He's well and truly screwed now.
One word Git, Oil.
If the spit on that ship it will dumb it whole load of oil.
Wonderful idea btw, if you want to make the sea barren for real.
From the look of that scow its an environmental hazard just floating on the sea.
Any skipper who allows his boat to look like that isnt much of a Captain.
Russian trawler that allegedly fled prosecution in Norway nears its own waters
Tuesday October 18, 2005
By JUDITH INGRAM
Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) A Russian trawler accused of illegal fishing off Norway fled toward its own waters Tuesday with Norwegian vessels in pursuit, aggravating a long-standing dispute between the two countries, border guards said.
Norway's coast guard intercepted the trawler Elektron on Saturday for alleged violations in Norwegian-protected waters, and the Russians began following the cutter to port as ordered. However, the Elektron changed course Sunday for Russia with two Norwegian fisheries inspectors on board, Norwegian Lt. Col. John Espen Lien said.
``We have two coast guard ships that are following the trawler, and in addition, two other coast guard ships are keeping at a distance,'' Lien was quoted as saying by Norwegian news agency NTB. ``We have not had any special contact with the Russians overnight, and they have not shown any particular interest in communicating with us.''
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his office was in constant contact with its Norwegian counterpart and that the situation would be resolved through negotiations.
He said Russia objected to Norway's definition of its economic zone a region where it controls the rights to fish.
``The incident took place in the Spitsbergen area, which the Norwegian side has proclaimed a fish-protection zone,'' Lavrov said. ``We have never agreed to the parameters that the Norwegians set unilaterally.''
He said the Norwegian claim that the trawler had used illegal fishing equipment would be discussed at talks.
Russia's navy would not interfere, but it dispatched an anti-submarine ship to patrol its northern waters to ensure foreign ships do not enter, naval spokesman Igor Dygalo was quoted as saying by Interfax.
The acting press attache at the Russian Embassy in Oslo, Alexei Shadskiy, told The Associated Press the two sides had agreed that the two Norwegian inspectors would be transferred to a Russian border guard patrol ship and from there to a Norwegian coast guard vessel.
He said there was a storm in the area but that the transfer would be completed when conditions allowed.
He also said the Elektron would proceed to the northern port of Murmansk, where it would face an investigation and possible legal action. A border guards spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he said his agency was not involved in the incident, said the trawler might reach Russian territorial waters by early Wednesday.
Norway and Russia have land and sea borders in the Arctic, and share the vast Barents Sea, which is rich in fish and a promising oil province.
The trawler was boarded for inspection in the Norwegian Fisheries Protection zone around the Nordic nation's Svalbard Islands, some 300 miles north of the mainland.
The trawler was caught using fine-mesh nets and other equipment to catch fish that were much smaller than permitted, potentially threatening fish stocks, Lien said.
Normally, trawlers detained for illegal fishing are escorted back to a Norwegian port, where they could face fines and the seizure of their catch.
This is how mighty Norway flexing its muscles against evil Russians!
“The coastguard had tried to snag the trawler's propeller with a rope to force it to stop, Itar-Tass news agency quoted the Russian captain as saying, but another trawler was doing its best to thwart the Norwegian efforts.
Norway has promised not to resort to force, Russian security officials in Murmansk told Ekho Moskvy radio station. But Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said it was a serious matter.
"We want to follow this boat, get back the Norwegian inspectors aboard and show that we don't take suspicions of illegal fishing lightly," he told Norwegian NRK radio.”
Spicbergen Island (actually archipelago) is 558 north of Norwegian border. There are two small villages Russian and Norwegian there. Spicbergen or Svalbard or Spitsbergen Island is Russian property, given as a present by “western powers” to Norway on Feb 09, 1920, after communist revolution. According to that treaty Russians have fishing rights in that area. Spitting on Orthodox nations – especially Serbs and Russians – seams like popular and safe sport - at least for now.
This is illegal fishing and they know it. This boat has been doing illegal things before. Why run away with inspectors. That is for sure illegal. Nobody is spitting on anybody. Rules are Rules.
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