Russian trawler sparks row with Norway

Norway's coast guard intercepted the Elektron trawler on Saturday for alleged fisheries violations in Norwegian protected waters and it began to follow the cutter to port as ordered. The ship changed course on Sunday, however, and headed for Russian waters with two Norwegian fisheries inspectors on board, said Norwegian Lt. Col. John Espen Lien.

"We have two coast guard ships that are following the trawler, and in addition, two other coast guard ships are keeping at a distance," Lien was quoted as saying by Norwegian news agency NTB. "We have not had any special contact with the Russians overnight, and they have not shown any particular interest in communicating with us."

Despite this, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that his ministry was in constant contact with its Norwegian counterpart and that the situation would be resolved through negotiations. He said that Russia objected to Norway's delimitation of its economic zone.

"The incident took place in the Spitsbergen area, which the Norwegian side has proclaimed a fish-protection zone," Lavrov said in remarks posted on the Foreign Ministry's Web site. "We have never agreed to the parameters that the Norwegians set unilaterally."

He said that the Norwegian claim that the trawler had used illegal fishing equipment would be discussed in bilateral talks.

Russia's navy would not interfere, but dispatched an anti-submarine ship to patrol Russia's northern waters to ensure foreign ships do not enter, naval spokesman Igor Dygalo was quoted as saying by Interfax.

In Oslo, the acting press attache at the Russian Embassy, Alexei Shadskiy, told The Associated Press that the two sides had agreed that the two Norwegian inspectors would be transferred to a Russian border guards patrol ship and from there to a Norwegian coast guard vessel.

He said there was a storm in the area but that the transfer would be completed when conditions allowed.

He also said that the Elektron would proceed to Murmansk, where it would face an investigation and possible legal action. The Russian Border Guards spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he said his agency was not involved in the incident, said the trawler might reach Russian territorial waters by early Wednesday.

Norway and Russia have land and sea borders in the Arctic, and share the vast Barents Sea, which is rich in fish and a promising oil province.

The trawler was boarded for inspection in the Norwegian Fisheries Protection zone around the Nordic nation's Svalbard Islands, some 500 kilometers (300 miles) north of the mainland.

The trawler was caught using fine-mesh nets and other equipment to catch fish that were much smaller than permitted, potentially threatening fish stocks, Lien said.

Normally, trawlers detained for illegal fishing are escorted back to a Norwegian port, where they could face fines and the seizure of their catch.