July, 9 - Arhangelsk Trawler Fleet (ATF), Russia’s oldest state-run fishing company, has won a key judgment from the High Court of the Republic of Namibia, which is expected to put an end to the long-running row over the return of the Russian flag to three fishing trawlers illegally seized from the company several years ago.

In 2004, while fishing in Mauritanian waters, the Kapitan Kononov and two other trawlers owned by ATF, the Tralmeister Mogutov and Yuozas Aleksonis, were seized by Mauritanian company SPP S.A. for alleged outstanding payments due from ATF.

ATF has repeatedly proved its integrity and that the trawlers were illegally misappropriated throughout many years of court proceedings in Russia, Spain, Panama and Mauritania. As a result, two trawlers moored off Spanish coast were safely returned and since 2007 have been flying the Russian flag. The third trawler Kapitan Kononov after being repeatedly renamed and resold was located off Namibian coast and arrested at the request of ATF about two years ago, but the Namibian court has not recognized ATF’s title to the vessel until now.

ATF was represented by EPAM, Russia’s leading law firm “This judgment has demonstrated again that the Russian Government is perfectly capable to successfully protect its property, wherever it is located and will continue to do so in the future,” Arkady Krasnikhin, a partner at EPA&P, said, “The judgment was obtained through coordinated activity by the Federal Agency of Management of Governmental Property, management of ATF and our lawyers. I hope it will be an important benchmark for defending the rights of Russian fishermen internationally.”


For more details:

Olga Binda

Tel: +7 (495) 935 80 10
Tel.: + (916) 500 69 91

press@epam.ru