ITAR-TASS News Agency

Lawyers to defend Russian trawlers in Norwegian court

The lawyers to the Arkhangelsk Trawler Fleet will object to charges brought against two Russian trawlers in the Norwegian court, a source in the EPAM Law told Itar-Tass on Friday.

The office represents the interests of the Arkhangelsk Trawler Fleet in court.

"We will prove at the Tromse court, which will convene on January 3-4, 2006, that the Norwegian accusations are totally unfounded or, at least, that the fine of 900,000 Norwegian kroner (about $150,000) is excessive," the source said.

"This case is just the top of an iceberg, and the real reason is the division of Norwegian and Russian zones of control in the Barents Sea," the source said.

Norwegian authorities made claims to the Russian vessels because they were not notified about the fishing and fish loading in the their territorial waters, but Moscow does not recognize the unilateral announcement of a 12-mile economic zone around Spitsbergen and insists on equal fishing rights in that area on the basis of the 1920 Treaty, the source said.

The Arkhangelsk Trawler Fleet has made a pledge for the release of its vessel. "We managed to reduce the deposit from 900,000 kroner (about $150,000) to 360,000 kroner (about $50,000)," the source said. "The Kapitan Gorbachev is fishing in the Norwegian waters."

The Norwegian authorities have released Russia's Kapitan Gorbachev and Dmitry Pokramovich vessels, which were under arrest for the past five days, Spitsbergen Vice-Governor Rune Hansen told Itar-Tass on Friday.

He said the vessels were freed on guarantee of the payment of fines imposed by the Norwegian Coast Guard. The owner of the Dmitry Pokramovich made a deposit of 500,000 Norwegian kroner (about $78,000), and the owner of the Kapitan Gorbachev paid 360,000 kroner (about $56,000).

On Wednesday Norway fined the Dmitry Pokramovich with 1.25 million kroner (about $190,000) and the Kapitan Gorbachev with 900,000 kroner (about $140,000) for failing to inform the local authorities of fish loading in the Norwegian territorial waters.

The court will consider the suspected violations of fishing rules offshore Spitsbergen in December.