TOKYO, May 27. /TASS/. Japan’s Coast Guard may detain Russian trawler Amur at the port of Mombetsu (Hokkaido) for the period of the investigation of the circumstances of the collision with Japanese fishing vessel Hokko-Maru 8, the Mombetsu coast guard department informed TASS on Thursday.
"The Russian vessel Amur may be detained in the port of Mombetsu for an official investigation. The period will depend on the contents on the investigation, and we cannot say how long it will last. The captain of the vessel and its crew may be questioned in this regard as well," the coast guard stated.
Earlier, the Russian Consulate General in Sapporo informed TASS that the captain of Amur is cooperating with the investigators of the ship's collision voluntarily, and that there is no information regarding his arrest. The consulate also stated that the Amur vessel is currently located at the Mombetsu port, but it has not been detained.
On Wednesday, Russian trawler Amur and Japanese fishing vessel Hokko-Maru 8 collided in the Sea of Okhotsk, 23 km off the coast of Japan’s Hokkaido Island. Three Japanese fishermen were killed and two were injured as a result.