FISHING DISPUTE Russian Ship Says She Was Fired On

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31730, 13 July 1968, Page 13

FISHING DISPUTE Russian Ship Says She Was Fired On

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

CANBERRA, July 12.

The Russian Embassy in Canberra has claimed that shots were fired at the Russian fishing vessel Van Gogh by an Australian trawler, A pilot who flew over the ship has denied that there was any shooting.

The master of the Russian vessel, Captain Alexei Solyanik, has said that the Australian boat came within 100 yards of him, and that a Russian - speaking man aboard it started swearing in “Aus-tralian-Russian.” Two shots were fired in the direction of the Van Gogh, but did not hit it The Soviet Embassy, reporting the incident to the Australian Department of External Affairs, said that it regarded Australian claims that the Van Gogh was intimidating local prawn fishermen as the mere complaints of a “greedy local firm.” (An Australian firm, Craig Mostyn and Company Pty. Ltd, which has a fleet of trawlers in the Gulf of Carpentaria, has complained to the Federal Government that the 6500-ton Van Gogh has been denuding rich prawning grounds in the gulf.) The Russian Embassy’s second secretary. Mr Ivan Stenin, said that the Russian cantain had reported his vessel’s presence in the Gulf of Carpentaria as “normal fishing routine.” Mr Stenin said that after the firing of shots at the Van Gogh, a delegation visited the ship to apologise for the action of hooligans. “We think it was more than hooliganism—it was piracy on the high seas," Mr Stenin said. In Normanton, Queensland, Mr Ron Taylor, said the big Russian fishing ship today swung away from Australian trawlers prawning near Normanton when a Royal Australian Air Force maritime reconnaissance aircraft appeared overhead.

Mr Taylor, pilot of a light plane used by local prawn fishermen, told N.Z.P.A.-Reu-ter that when the Russian ship, Van Gogh, saw the Royal Australian Air Force aircraft it swung to the port side of the school of prawns in which the Australian boats were fishing. He said he reported the prawns to the fleet of 15 Australian trawlers by radio when the Van Gogh was about seven miles from the scene. Immediately the Russian vessel made for the area. Mr Taylor said that previously when he had reported a school of prawns to the Australian vessels, the Van Gogh had “chased” them to the area. Several times the Van Gogh had ploughed straight through the prawns, scattering the Australian trawlers. He said that the Air Force Neptune, from Townsville R.AAF. base, had circled the Australian fleet for 7j hours today. During this time the Soviet ship had kept its distance from the Australian boats. “Feeling about the way the Russians were carrying on was running pretty high at Karumba (the small local fleet’s home port) until today,” said Mr Taylor. “But quick Federal Government action in sending the Air Force seems to have cooled them off.” Mr Taylor said claims by the Russian Embassy in Canberra that shots had been fired at the Van Gogh from an Australian vessel were “quite untrue”. Normanton, 1340 miles north-west of Brisbane, is the nearest sizeable town to Karumba, which is on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Meanwhile, it was reported from Canberra that the Navy patrol boat H.M.A.S. Attack was nearing the gulf to pre-

vent further friction between the Van Gogh and Australian trawlers. The Prime Minister (Mr John Gorton) ordered the Attack back into the gulf last night. He said the patrol boat would “watch the interests of Australian fishermen”. The Attack is a high-speed vessel armed with bofors guns and other weapons.

Mr Gorton made his decision after consultations with officials of the Navy, Air Force and other departments. The Attack will keep an eye on the situation,.and the Navy will report developments directly to Mr Gorton. The Royal Australian Air Force is expected to increase its reconnaissance patrols by Orion and Neptune aircraft based at Townsville.