VLADIVOSTOK, February 27 (RIA Novosti) - North Korean authorities have released a Russian cargo ship seized on Saturday in the Sea of Japan, a regional rescue service official said on Wednesday.
He said the ship, with a crew of 25, was released in the small hours of Wednesday and was now on its way back to its home port of Vladivostok. It was expected home on Thursday evening.
"All 25 crew members are alive and well," said the official.
The Russian vessel, Lidiya Demesh, was carrying a shipment of cars from the Japanese port of Hamata to Vladivostok, when it was stopped by the North Koreans near Cape Musudan, three to five miles from North Korea's shores.
General Consul in Chongjin Yevgeny Valkovich said on Monday he had agreed with North Korean authorities over the release of the boat.
According to some reports, The Lidiya Demesh may have been detained for straying too close to a North Korean missile-testing site.
