UN Law of the Sea Tribunal welcomes release of Japanese vessel and crew

The United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) today welcomed news that authorities in the Russian Federation have released a Japanese fishing vessel and its crew – detained for alleged illegal fishing in Russian waters – in line with a Tribunal decision earlier this month.

The Hoshinmaru is now on its way back to Japan, where it is scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

On 6 August, the Tribunal ruled that the Hoshinmaru and its crew should be released promptly from the port city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii, upon the payment of a bond of 10 million roubles, or about $392,000. The decision followed an application by Japan to ITLOS, which is based in Hamburg, Germany, in which it argued that Russia had breached its obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“With the payment of the bond and the release of the Hoshinmaru and its crew only 10 days after the delivery of the Tribunal’s judgment, the Tribunal notes the prompt compliance of the parties with its decision,” ITLOS said in a press release issued today.