Posted on 11/20/2002 2:35:55 PM PST by Shermy
Russian authorities said Wednesday that a Russian fishing ship might have been seized by gunmen off the coast of South Korea.
The ship, the Tulun, opened fire at a small vessel, in which representatives of one of the ship's owners were trying to approach the Tulun, said Alexander Ivankov, deputy head of the Russian Coast Guard division in the Pacific port of Vladivostok. The small vessel, the West Wind, received 20 bullets to its hull and had to retreat. The incident took place near the Korean port of Pusan on Monday.
Ivankov described the incident citing a report that he had received from the Korean marine police agency. He said the agency in turn got the information from a man who claimed to be a representative of the Tulun owner.
The Tulun is now heading in the direction of the Japanese port of Otaru, sailing in international waters, Ivankov said.
He added that the gunmen might have boarded the Tulun from another Russian ship, the Korf, which still remains anchored near Pusan.
There has been almost no radio contact with the Tulun, which has 23 crewmembers aboard, Ivankov said. News media reported that the Tulun's captain went on air for a minute on Monday to say that the ship had been seized.
Ivankov believed that the alleged capture of the ship could be a result of a business dispute between the two owners of the company that runs the Tulun. The company, called Region, is based in the Sakhalin port of Kholmsk. He said each partner had claimed the sole right to manage the company's property while talking to police.
Ivankov said a Coast Guard plane had spotted the Tulun and signaled it to enter Russian waters to allow boarding. Two Coast Guard cutters and two Pacific Fleet battleships were speeding toward the trawler carrying inspection groups.
Russian coast guards were closely cooperating with their Japanese counterparts over the incident, Ivankov stated.
Russian ships head for trawler reportedly seized by gunmen
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Russian naval and border guard ships sped Wednesday to a Russian fishing vessel in the Sea of Japan after a report that it had been seized by gunmen.
The ships' aim was to escort the trawler Tulun to a Russian port where officials could sort out an array of contradictory claims about what happened to the vessel.
On Tuesday, Russian officials said they had received reports from Japanese and South Korean law enforcement agencies that the Tulun had been seized by gunmen while in international waters Saturday.
However, the South Korean maritime police denied any knowledge of the incident.
On Wednesday, the deputy head of the coast guard division in Vladivostok, Capt. Alexander Ivankov, said shots were fired from the Tulun at a small vessel carrying representatives of one of the trawler's owners when the trawler was near the South Korean port of Pusan.
Ivankov said there had been no radio contact with the trawler, but the Interfax news agency said a telegram had been sent from the Tulun saying that none of the 22 people aboard had been hurt and that the vessel was heading for its home port of Kholmsk, on Sakhalin Island.
The report cited an unnamed official in the Russian Transportation Ministry as saying there had been no armed seizure of the trawler and that the matter centered on a dispute between owners of the vessel.
Russia's Pacific fishing fleet is believed to be under the tight control of organized crime groups.
Maybe my guess about a fallout between two sets of smugglers is close to the mark?
One thing, though...
"A Pacific Fleet battleship escorted the trawler to the Russian eastern port of Vladivostok."
Imagine the 45,000 ton displacement USS Iowa "escorting" a fishing boat that you could probably hide in one of its turrets...
Now, do you know what happened with the Iraqi boats that Kuwait were shooting at?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.