Wet case: photo-video cameras can be "empowered"
Photo- and video-recording systems for violations that have become common on highways may also appear on rivers, canals, and reservoirs. The relevant amendments to the legislation have been submitted by the government to the State Duma for consideration. Experts and lawyers are ambivalent about this initiative. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Cameras on the water
In Russia, they may begin to record violations of the rules of navigation using automatic cameras. The government has submitted relevant amendments to the Administrative Code, as well as the Code of Inland Waterway Transport, to the State Duma for consideration. The documents are published in the legislative support system of the lower house of Parliament.
According to the amendments to the Administrative Code, it is proposed to expand the use of photo-video fixation complexes due to administrative offenses provided for in Parts 1 and Part 2 of art. 11.7 of this Code ("Violation of the rules of navigation"). It is planned to supplement the Code of Inland Waterway Transport of the Russian Federation with Article 34.4 "Stationary special technical equipment operating in automatic mode, having the functions of photography, filming, and video recording to record violations of navigation rules on inland waterway transport."
The decision on the location of such complexes, as well as on their shutdown and dismantling on inland waterways, will be made by regional authorities. At the same time, according to the document, information about the locations of cameras on the water (indicating geographical coordinates), the sections of waterways controlled by them, as well as the types of recorded offenses should be publicly available and posted "on the official website of the authorized body on the Internet information and telecommunications network."
"The proposed changes make it possible not only to record violations, but also to automatically record the results of detected offenses in strict accordance with the requirements of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, by analogy with the existing system for recording traffic violations," the explanatory notes to the draft laws say.
It is assumed that the proposed legislative changes, if approved by Parliament, will enter into force on September 1, 2026.
Water violations and fines
According to Part 1 of Article 11.7 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, a violation by a boatmaster or other person operating a vessel (with the exception of a small one) in maritime and inland waterway transport of the rules of navigation and parking of vessels, entry of vessels into and out of port, towing of convoys and rafts, giving sound and light signals, carrying ship lights and signs It provides for a fine of 5-10 thousand rubles or deprivation of the right to operate a vessel for a period of six months to a year. Repeated violation is already threatened with a fine of 10-20 thousand rubles or deprivation of "water rights" for 1-2 years.
For persons operating small vessels (up to 20 m long, designed for no more than 12 people), a warning is provided for exceeding the set speed, non-compliance with the requirements of navigation signs, deliberate stopping or parking of the vessel in prohibited places or violation of the rules of maneuvering, violation of the rules for giving sound signals, carrying on-board lights and signs, as well as a fine of 500-1000 rubles or deprivation of the right to operate a small vessel for up to six months.
There is practically no movement of small vessels in the capital, Alexey Smirnov, head of the National Association of Small-Scale Shipping, told Izvestia. This is due to the complete absence of permitted mooring sites in the city, he explained. But in other regions, the "little girls" movement is developing quite quickly, the expert noted.
— If we talk about the speed of ships, the main problem is related to wave formation — waves created by a large vessel traveling at high speed can turn over smaller vessels. That is why, for example, the speed limit in the Moscow canal is 15 km/h," Alexey Smirnov told Izvestia.
At the same time, some types of "small boats" can raise a large enough wave even at this speed, he noted. As an example, the head of the National Association of Small-scale Navigation cited gliding boats, which, due to their design features, create a larger wave at a speed of 12-15 km/h than when moving in gliding mode.
— In addition, fuel consumption increases dramatically on planing vessels when moving in displacement mode — it is quite difficult to go in this mode on them, — Alexey Smirnov told Izvestia.
The head of the National Association of Small-scale Navigation considers the proposals to introduce automatic recording of violations on water bodies using cameras to be premature and unfounded, since there are no statistics that would show the relationship between incidents on the water and violations committed. In addition, unlike "car" cameras on the roads, violations on the water are seasonal and for about six months such cameras will simply work in vain, said Alexey Smirnov.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, for 11 months of this year, about 3.7 thousand different incidents occurred on the country's water bodies, including those involving small vessels. This is 12% less than in the same period last year, when about 4.3 thousand incidents were recorded on the water, the ministry stressed.
Not just motorists
According to experts, automatic cameras on the roads have proven their effectiveness and have made a significant contribution to reducing accidents. Therefore, their use on water bodies is also justified, they believe.
— In addition to speeding in canals and other water bodies, cameras can be used to record violations of the rules of mooring and anchoring in places where it is prohibited, and to check the passage of mandatory technical inspection by vessels using the database (it is carried out every five years. — Izvestia), to control the ban on the movement of vessels in prohibited places, for example, near beaches and recreation areas, — said Vice-president of the National Automobile Union Jan Haitser, who also has a certificate for driving a small vessel.
Igor Morzharetto, a member of the Presidium of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, shares a similar point of view. According to him, the effect of the photovideofixation complexes on highways may well manifest itself in the prevention and suppression of offenses on the water.
"The main thing is that any camera, no matter on the road or on the river, meets all the requirements imposed on it and works not to replenish the treasury, but to increase security," he stressed.
It is possible, but with reservations
From a technical point of view, there are no special problems for using photovideofixation complexes on water bodies, the manufacturers of such complexes note. However, there are certain features for their use on water, they note.
— First of all, there are difficulties with the location of the camera. If we are talking about a small channel, then there is no problem. You can, for example, install it on a bridge, but you need to take into account the width of the fixation zone — it is limited for the camera," Sergey Laskin, CEO of Astra Lab, a manufacturer of photo and video fixation complexes, told Izvestia.
In addition, when placing such devices, it is necessary to take into account that, unlike cars in which state registration plates are located in front and behind, ships have side plates on the sides, he noted.
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