Russian authorities have temporarily detained a cargo ship flying the Cambodian flag near Crimea in the Black Sea on January 3, a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said yesterday.

Speaking by phone, the spokesman confirmed a Tuesday statement to Russian media that “the vessel violated the regime of the state border of the Russian Federation . . . deviated from the recommended course and dropped anchor [near] the village of Chernomorkoye without permission.” He provided no further comment.

The vessel, Svyatoy Georgiy, was headed from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don to Varna in Hungary. Its home port is listed as Phnom Penh, according to the online ship tracking service MaritimeTracking.com. The vessel’s cargo was unknown.

Cambodia’s ship registry – operated through a concession by a South Korean company – is widely known to offer so-called flags of convenience, used by ships not associated with their registered countries to avoid taxes and regulations.

Cambodian-flagged ships, especially fishing vessels, have drawn criticism for violating international laws in the past.