OSLO: The Russian fishing vessel Kamchatka, whose home port is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, has been arrested in Norway’s exclusive economic zone.
The director of the Russian Investigative Committee’s Murmansk transport investigation department, Vyacheslav Kazin, told Interfax that the wife of one of this vessel’s crewmembers said that her husband was being held on board the vessel against his will, had no documents and was not allowed to go ashore.
The preliminary information available indicates that six crewmembers are being held by the captain and the second in command officer, both citizens of Russia, on board the Kamchatka against their will.
“The Russian FSB (Federal Security Service) border guard department for the western Arctic district sent a vessel and a special operations unit. As it was arrested on the high seas, the Kamchatka tried to escape, but it was arrested in the exclusive economic zone of Norway,” he said.
After it was arrested, the vessel was ordered to enter the nearest port, which is Norway’s Kirkenes. All crewmembers were picked up from the Kamchatka and were delivered to Murmansk on board a border guard vessel overnight into Sunday.
