News
The article is more than 5 years old

Russia seizes Finnish-flagged fishing trawler

The fishing boat was seized on Friday, however there were only Estonian nationals aboard the vessel.

roxen
The Finnish-flagged fishing trawler Roxen was seized by Russian authorities on Friday. (Photo courtesy of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation). Image: Roxen-troolari on tällä hetkellä Kaliningradissa. (KUVA: VENÄJÄN FEDERAATION TURVALLISUUSVIRASTO RAJAVIRASTON LEHDISTÖPALVELU)
  • Yle News

Russian authorities have seized a Finnish-flagged fishing vessel, according to Russian news agency Tass.

Russian officials said the boat, a trawler named Roxen, was seized on Friday after breaching waters of Russia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The boat's crewmembers were all Estonian, according to the Finnish consulate general's office in St Petersburg, which said that no Finns were onboard the vessel when it was seized.

The trawler - reportedly carrying around 7.5 tonnes of fish - was taken to the port of Kaliningrad, capital of the Russian province with the same name, nestled between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast.

The consulate general's office said it is hoping for an expedient court decision regarding the seizure and that the vessel would be released as soon as possible.

The incident was first reported in Finland by newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.