MOSCOW. May 19 (Interfax) - Russian border guards have detained two foreign-flagged vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk, carrying 35 tonnes of live crab harvested illegally in the Russian economic zone, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Public Relations Center said.
The vessels were detained by officers from the Sakhalin border office with the assistance of their colleagues from the border offices for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region, using a Mikoyan Mi-8 helicopter, the FSB said.
Fifteen tonnes of live snow crab were found on board the Iskander motorship and 20 tonnes of crab on board the Estrella motorship. Both vessels are sailing under the flag of Sierra Leone. Apart from crab, the vessels also carried parts of fishing equipment. Both vessels are being taken to the port of Korsakov for an inquiry, the FSB said.