Three Russian trawlers detained
The same day as the Norwegian and Russian ministers of foreign affairs discussed ways to prevent arrests of each others’ trawlers in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Coast Guard detained three Russian vessels in the area.
It is the Russian trawlers Mirgorod, Arkhangelsk and Achinsk which were yesterday detained by Norwegian Coast Guard, Aftenposten reports with reference to information from the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
The trawlers were observed by a Norwegian Orion maritime patrol aircraft on Tuesday, when they were fishing in an area closed for trawling and seine fishing. The Norwegian Coast Guard vessel “Svalbard” detained the vessels.
The detentions took place at the same day as Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov met in Moscow to discuss cooperation. According to a press release from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two ministers highlighted the importance of joining efforts with regard to fishery regulations in the Barents Sea, so that the number of detained Russian and Norwegian trawlers is reduced to a minimum.