Georgian coast guards said the Karla was detained Sunday for violating navigation rules and entering an area banned for shipping. The boat has been convoyed to the Georgian port of Poti.
The coast guards said the crew of the Karla consisted of five Filipinos, two Iranians, two Russians, one Ukrainian and one German.
A Georgian court will start hearing the case within two days. Under Georgian law, the ship's owner will have to pay a fine of $25,000 if found guilty. If the fine is not paid, the ship will be sold at auction.
The Karla is the third foreign ship detained in Georgia's territorial waters in the past three weeks.
Two ships, one Russian and one Ukrainian, were seized near Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway republic, earlier in January. A Georgian court ruled January 15 that the captains must pay about $23,000 each for illegally fishing in the country's territorial waters. Georgian law says that Abkhazian ports and coastal waters are closed to international navigation, except for vessels with humanitarian cargoes.
On January 25, coast guards in southwest Georgia detained a Turkish vessel for allegedly poaching in the Black Sea. The suspected poachers may face fines of up to $30,000 if found guilty.
