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Japanese whalers held in Russia

A JAPANESE whaling vessel and its crew were being held in Russia today after the ship entered Russian territorial waters without permission.

The 712-ton Shonan-maru No 2 was ordered into a Russian port on August 15 after sailing through the Sea of Okhotsk off Sakhalin island, an official from Japan’s Fisheries Agency said yesterday.

The vessel, which does not catch whales itself but monitors the oceans for signs of the creatures, had 19 Japanese crew and one Russian observer on board.

Tokyo has admitted that the vessel changed its initial course and entered Russian waters without going through the proper procedures.

“The crew members have been voluntarily questioned,” the fisheries official said, adding that Tokyo was asking for their early release through diplomatic channels.

The Shonan-maru No 2 had previously been used during the now-suspended Antarctic whaling hunt, which saw clashes with environmentalist groups.

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