MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - Customs officers in Russia's Far East have detained on suspicion of poaching a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel carrying more than 40 metric tons of crab, a border guards spokesman said Tuesday.
The captain of the Sun Bee, which was sailing in the Sea of Japan, said the vessel was heading to Japan for refueling and was carrying no cargo.
However, a search of the ship revealed a total of 46 tons of blue crab, snow crab and Kamchatka crab stored in containers of sea water. The vessel, with a crew of 17 Russians, Ukrainians and Indonesians, was escorted to the Far Eastern port of Nakhodka for further investigation.
This year, Russia has launched a crackdown on illegal exports of crab and other seafood. In May 2007, Russia banned the export of live crab, but large volumes continue to be smuggled out of the country, primarily to Japan and South Korea.
