The crew of the Russian tug Stakhanovets detained by the Indian authorities and which is currently moored at Bombay sea port was reported to feel fine and have enough foodstuffs and drinking water. The "case" of the Russian ship is likely to come up in court after the Holiday of Light known as Diwali which is celebrated in India on October 30, Itar-Tass was told at the Russian consulate in Bombay. The sailors of the Russian ship stranded in India are waiting in suspense for a court resolution which will decide their fate which took an unexpected turn when the Stakhanovets was towing from Sevastopol to Alang (Gudjarat) the aircraft carrier Moskva decomissioned to be scrapped. On October 21, Indian coastal guard ships were sent to intercept the Russian ship because the captain of the Russian ship, Novikov, for ten hours refused to contact the Indian coastal guard ships by radio and comply with the order to sail to Bombay. The conflict continued until late on October 23 when warning shots were fired from the Indian coastal guard ships. Then, the Russian ships towing the decomissioned aircraft carrier sailed to Bombay where it remains moored at outer roads. Russian diplomats believe that the conflict might have been avoided if the Russian sailors had obeyed the order given by the Indian ships at once. In any case, allegations of "pirate-style capture" of the Russian ship belonging to the Murmansk-based company and moreover, that someone was injured on board as a result of the activities of the Indian side do not conform to reality. No documents have been confiscated from the captain on board and the Russian sailors are not considered to be under arrest although they had been asked to stay on board until court proceedings are over. For unknown reasons which have to be clarified by lawyers the Indian owners of the Moskva decided to revise the terms of the contract and appealed to the Calcutta city court for assistance, which in turn, ruled to arrest the Moskva which ... Read more