Russian patrol vessel sets off towards Spitsbergen
The Russian tugboat Mikul on Tuesday this week set off towards Spitsbergen, where it will patrol fishing in the area the next 45 days.
Captain of the “Mikul”, Mr. Petr Mifanov, says to Regnum that he and his crew intends to inspect also Norwegian trawlers operating in the area.
-We start up patrols in order to more seriously control the work of the fishermen and not allow violations, Mr. Mifanov says. He adds that the mission is to do everything to make sure that Russian and Norwegian vessels in the area catch fish on the same conditions.
-In this area, numerous questions regarding fishing have appeared between our sailors and their Norwegian colleagues, the captain says, adding that Russia does not acknowledge the 200 mile fishery protection zone established by Norway around the archipelago in 1977.
The “Mikul”, a former trawler, has Murmansk as its home port and has previously been engaged in patrol missions in the Barents Sea. Last year, the vessel patrolled in the area of the Island Kildin, B-port.com reports.
See video about the vessel and its mission to the Spitsbergen waters at NTV
