MOSCOW, January 09. /ITAR-TASS/. Senegal claims the Russian Oleg Naidenov fishing trawler was detained for violating fishing rules in its exclusive economic zone, the Russian foreign ministry said after a meeting between the Russian ambassador in that country and the Senegalese foreign minister.

“[Senegalese Foreign Minister] Mankeur Ndiaye, in turn, said that the Oleg Naidenov has been detained because of recurring violations of the rules of fishing in the Senegalese exclusive economic zone and promised to refer relevant official materials to the Russian embassy in Dakar,” the ministry said. “At the same time, the minister said the Senegalese side was taking all necessary steps to promptly settle the situation.”

The Oleg Naidenov suspected of illegal fishing within Senegalese waters was seized by the Senegalese military 46 miles of Guinea-Bissau on January 4 with 82 crew onboard, including 62 Russians and 20 citizens of Guinea-Bissau, and convoyed to the port of Dakar on January 5. During the seizure several sailors were injured.

The Oleg Naidenov is owned by private company Fenix, registered in Murmansk, the extreme northwest part of Russia. It is a big fishing boat of Moonzund type, 120 meters long, built in Germany in 1989.

The crew remains on board the vessel under control of the Senegalese law enforcers. Sailors’ passports were confiscated soon after the arrest and the crew was not allowed to leave the trawler.