A Norwegian fishing boat crew operating in international Arctic waters but inside the Norwegian economic zone literally found themselves under fire from a Russian warship taking part in a military exercise earlier this month. Norway’s own coast guard, however, thinks the fishing boat provoked the incident itself.
“All vessels are obliged to follow navigational reports,” a coast guard officer told state broadcaster NRK this week. Crew on board the Norwegian boat MS Ragnhild Kristine, however, admitted they’d missed a report that the Russians and Chinese would be carrying out exercises in the same area where they were fishing for cod.
The Russian vessel Admiral Levtsjenko refused to accept the fishing boat’s presence, fired a warning shot and then escorted it westward and out of the naval exercise area. Under international regulations, the Russian and Chinese ships had a right to be where they were.
Tore Henriksen, a legal expert at the University of Tromsø in Northern Norway, said most fishing vessels pick up all warnings sent out by the marine traffic central in Vardø and abide by them. “But I know that they spark irritation, because it can hinder fishing vessels from fishing,” Henriksen told NRK. “That can lead to economic losses and practical problems.” The captain of the fishing boat told NRK that he thinks Norwegian authorities should make sure such naval exercises aren’t conducted inside Norway’s economic zone.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
