Russian diplomats stationed in North Korea yesterday held their second round of meetings with the detained crew of the “Xiang Hai Lin 8” ship in Wonsan, the country’s embassy in Pyongyang reported in a statement Saturday.

The ship’s crew, comprised of 15 Russians and two South Koreans, were detained by DPRK authorities on July 17, charged with “violating the rules of entry and stay in the DPRK territory.”

News of their arrests emerged earlier this week, with consular officers from the Russian embassy having reportedly met with the ship’s captain and second mate — along with the rest of their crew