The Russian motor vessel, the Grisha Podobedov, registered in Kamchatka, has been detained at the Chinese port of Dalian over debts to a shiprepair company.

Chinese officials have handed a detention warrant to the captain of the Russian ship, a crewmember told Interfax by phone on Monday.

"If the ship owner fails to repay the debt to the shiprepair company before April 20, the motor vessel will be sold," he said.

"The crew have not received their pay for seven months now and their future is not clear," the Russian sailor said.

"Repairs were finished a long time ago, but the ship owner has yet to repay debts to the Chinese shiprepair company and to the crew," he said.

The Russian vessel is owned by Kamchatmorflot company.

Kamchatmorflot's other motor vessel, the Tikhon Syomushkin, found itself in a similar situation in Vietnam in February. The problem was settled through diplomatic channels.