Third Mate Of Russia's Amur Ship Now In Pre-Trial Detention Center In Monbetsu - Consul

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th June, 2021) The third mate of Russia's Amur merchant ship, which collided with a Japanese fishing vessel in May, is now in a pre-trial detention center in Japan's Monbetsu, the Russian Consulate-General in Sapporo maintains constant contact with both the Amur captain and the ship owner, Russian consul in Sapporo Roman Kolesnik told Sputnik.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Consul General in Sapporo Sergey Marin told Sputnik that the third mate of Russia's Amur had been detained for 72 hours on suspicion of not taking action to avoid the collision.

"We are always in touch with the ship owner, with the captain. If there is a request from the third mate, a diplomat will go there and meet with him. We gave our recommendations to the captain. We made sure the third mate has a lawyer," Kolesnik told Sputnik.

According to the consul, the lawyer will leave Sapporo for Monbetsu on Tuesday.

"The third mate is now in the pre-trial detention center in the city of Monbetsu," Kolesnik said, adding that the Japanese side has 72 hours to decide whether to start an investigation or not.

So far, the third mate had been interviewed on a voluntary basis. If a decision is made to start an investigation, the law allocates "10 plus 10 days" for it.

"After this period, a decision is made either to release him, or to bring formal charges and bring the case to court," the consul explained.

The Russian Amur vessel with 23 people on board that was transporting seafood to Monbetsu from Sakhalin in Russia's Far East and Japanese fishing boat Hokko Maru No. 8 carrying 5 people collided off Hokkaido on May 26. The people from the Japanese ship were rescued by the Amur crew, but three of them were unconscious. Later, they were confirmed dead.

At the end of May, Russian Consul General in Sapporo Sergey Marin told Sputnik that there was no information confirming that Amur violated any international agreements on safe navigation or rules for the divergence of vessels at sea, noting that evidence points to a disregard of some of these rules by Japanese fishermen. Later, Marin told Sputnik that the ship's captain was being pressured into admitting guilt.