Russian Fishermen Innocent in Norway
The Norwegian Supreme Court has dismissed charges against the owners of the Russian fishing ships Captain Gorbachev and Dmitry Pokramovich, which were seized on October 24, 2005, on suspicion of violation of fishing rules. The Dmitry Pokramovich belongs to the Murmanrybprom corporation and the Captain Gorbachev belongs to the Arkhangelsk Trawler Fleet. The ships were seized off the Spitzbergen archipelago as the catch of the Dmitry Pokramovich was being transferred to the Captain Gorbachev. The Norwegian Coast Guard ordered the ships into the port at Tromso and charged them with unauthorized reloading of cargo.
Rules adopted in January 2005 by Russia and Norway require ships to inform Norwegian authorities 24 hours in advance of reloading of fish to give inspectors time to check for signs of poaching, a growing problem in the area. The ships were fined $768,000 and made to pay about $350,000 in bail and were released.
The Russian side initially disputed the territoriality of the waters the ships were seized in, but later acknowledged that they were Norwegian waters. In the end, the fine imposed on the ships was found illegal under a 1920 treaty granting all countries fishing in the area equal working conditions. The Norwegians will now return the fine.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 26, 2007
|
