HELSINKI, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian ship Dmitry Pokramovich has been released after its owner paid bail, the deputy governor of Spitsbergen, Rune Bard Hansen, said Friday.
The Russian ship, along with another vessel, the Kapitan Gorbachev, was detained off Medvezhy Island in the Barents Sea on charges of unauthorized fish reloading.
"I received notification from the bank that the ship owner had deposited 500,000 Norwegian kronas [$77,546] into the account," Hansen said. After the payment was made, the ship was released.
The fine demanded by Norwegian authorities from the owner of the Dmitry Pokramovich was approximately $190,000. The owners of both ships were given the choice of either paying the fine in full, after which the Norwegian authorities would drop the case, or paying a bail fee, which would be held until the case goes to court. The court is expected to hear the case at the beginning of January and will decide whether the owners must pay the full sum, the deputy governor said.
The Kapitan Gorbachev is still being held. "We have not yet received confirmation from the bank that the money has been deposited, so the ship will remain under arrest," Hansen said
Vladimir Zagorovsky, the general director of the company that owns the Dmitry Pokramovich, confirmed that the ship had been released.
"According to the captain, the Norwegian inspectors are now preparing to leave the ship, after which the Dmitry Pokramovich will continue its commercial operations in the Barents Sea," he said.
The company will contest the fine in the court hearing, which will take place in Norway, he said.
