Vladivostok (Russia), Nov 20: Russian warships intercepted a fishing trawler today in the sea of Japan seized by gunmen flying the flag of Cambodia in an apparent business dispute initially reported as an act of piracy.

Russian warships were guiding the fishing trawler and its 23 Russian crew, seized by gunmen flying under the Cambodian flag in the sea of Japan, back to port, border officials here said. Following a Russian request, Japanese coast guard forces were also dispatched to the area some 140 kilometers off Akita in the north of Japan to intercept the trawler Tulun and the Korf, the Cambodian-flagged ship that seized it.

The Russian trawler's captain told reporters here in a telephone interview that his boat was probably a victim of a business dispute and not an act of piracy as initially suggested by some Russian media. "There was a bid to take over the ship made by a foreign company, which claims rights to this trawler and its catch," said the captain, Vladimir Chuprov, in a telephone interview with local reporters.

"Our boat was approached by another one flying the Cambodian flag and they demanded our documents and our load of fish," the captain said.

He also denied initial media reports that there was gun fire during the raid, saying only that the unknown assailants were wielding rubber truncheons.

There was no initial information as to what happened to the hijackers.

Bureau Report