"Rekin" poacher-trawler arrested by Coast Guard

The Coast Guard ship "Vorovsky" has arrested the "Rekin" trawler the crew of which earlier took hostage two Coast Guard servicemen and three sea environment protection inspectors.

The "Rekin" trawler /home-port Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the centre of the Kamchatsk region in the Far East/ was arrested in the waters of the Big Kurils Ridge, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean, the staff of the Pacific regional department of the Russian Federal Coast Guard Service reported.

According to earlier reports, when the inspecting crew of two Coast Guard servicemen and three members of the sea environment protection inspection came on board the "Rekin", the captain of the trawler ordered to escape from the Coast Guard ship at full speed in the direction of Japan.

The chase continued for several hours. The Coast Guard aviation helped to chase the "Rekin". After several hours of the chase, when the captain realised the impossibility to escape, he ordered to stop the engines.

The "Rekin" will be convoyed to the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for investigation.