GIMS Vitebsk Region Information for the Year 2023

The State Inspectorate for Small Vessels (hereinafter referred to as GIMS) of the Vitebsk region informs that in 2023, 7 accidents involving small vessels (rowing and motor boats, motorboats, sailing vessels, jet skis, catamarans) occurred in our region, resulting in 6 deaths and 4 rescues. The rescued individuals were equipped with life jackets. All deceased individuals were without life jackets.

The highest number of transport accidents involving small vessels in 2023 (2 cases each) was registered in Braslav (on June 9, 2023, a citizen born in 1960 drowned in Lake Plyusy, and on July 5, 2023, a passenger, a citizen born in 1963, died in Lake Strusto) and Chashniki districts (on July 1, 2023, 4 people were rescued on Lake Lukomskoye – all were wearing life jackets when they fell into the water, and on August 26, 2023, a citizen born in 1955 drowned in Lake Kobylshchina). Fatalities involving small vessels (one death each) were also registered in Vitebsk (on July 13, 2023, a citizen born in 1962 drowned in the Oblyanka River), Sharkovshchina (on June 18, 2023, a citizen born in 1959 drowned in Lake Knyazh), and Lepel districts (on August 21, 2023, a passenger, a citizen born in 1976, died on Lake Lepelskoye).

The causes of fatalities in the specified cases were:

Disregard for elementary safety measures when using small vessels, specifically the failure of the deceased to wear life jackets (according to clause 9 of the Rules for the Use of Small Vessels, the skipper and persons on board a small vessel must wear fastened life jackets while underway);
Operating small vessels while intoxicated (according to paragraph 4 of clause 16 of the Rules for the Use of Small Vessels, it is prohibited for the skipper to operate a small vessel while intoxicated...);

Movement of persons on board a small vessel while it is underway (according to paragraph 3 of clause 18 of the Rules for the Use of Small Vessels, it is prohibited to move people on a deckless small vessel while it is underway);

operation of small vessels (including homemade ones) with outboard engines that have not undergone state registration and technical inspection (according to para. 3, item 19 of the Rules for the use of small vessels, the operation of a small vessel is prohibited if it has not undergone state registration and classification, and technical inspection in the established manner);

operation of a small vessel in conditions of limited visibility or in adverse weather conditions (according to para. 11, item 16 of the Rules for the use of small vessels, it is prohibited to navigate a vessel in fog or other adverse meteorological conditions).

In 4 out of 6 cases, the fatalities were registered with homemade rowing vessels of individual construction, which are not subject to registration. In 70% of cases, fatalities occurred between 5:00 PM on Friday and 6:00 PM on Sunday, typically at a significant distance from the shore, and in 84% of cases, the deceased were intoxicated.

Analyzing the causes and conditions that contributed to the emergency with a fatality, it can be stated that wearing a fastened life jacket by people on a small vessel maximally increases their survivability when falling into the water.

For violations of the rules for the use of small vessels in 2023, GIMS employees of the Vitebsk region issued 868 resolutions on bringing small vessel skippers to administrative responsibility.

Regarding skippers in the Braslav and Lepel districts, who are guilty of the death of passengers on a small vessel when it capsized, the issue of initiating a criminal case under Art. 316 "Violation of safety rules for the movement or operation of small vessels" of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus is being considered, the maximum penalty for which is imprisonment for a term of four to ten years.

FOR SAFE OPERATION OF A SMALL VESSEL, THE SKIPPER IS PROHIBITED FROM:

operating a motor small vessel with an engine power exceeding 3.7 kilowatts (5 horsepower) without carrying a certificate of entitlement to operate a motor small vessel or an international certificate of entitlement to operate a pleasure craft;
operating a small vessel in a painful or fatigued state that jeopardizes navigation safety, or under the influence of medications that reduce attention and reaction speed;
operating a small vessel while intoxicated with alcohol and (or) in a state caused by the consumption of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues, toxic or other stupefying substances;
transferring the control of a small vessel to a person who does not have the right to operate a small vessel, to a person who does not carry a certificate of entitlement to operate a motor small vessel or an international certificate of entitlement to operate a pleasure craft, as well as to a person who is intoxicated with alcohol and (or) in a state caused by the consumption of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues, toxic or other stupefying substances;
operating a small vessel that is in a faulty technical condition and (or) without the necessary equipment,

in violation of the conditions specified in its classification certificate;

leaving a water area unattended;
violating the load capacity norms and the permissible number of people on board;
using an engine on a small vessel that exceeds the maximum permissible power and (or) number, as well as installing an engine on rowing small vessels;
going to sea without a ship's ticket and a certificate of vessel's operational readiness on a small vessel subject to state registration and classification, and technical inspection;
navigating a vessel in fog or other adverse weather conditions when orientation is impossible due to lack of visibility;
obstructing the navigation of other vessels;
setting sail on small vessels without prescribed navigation lights during nighttime;
entering areas designated for swimming, approaching within 50 meters of the marked swimming boundaries near beaches, and when operating motor-powered small vessels with water skis or similar equipment, approaching within 100 meters of such boundaries;
mooring to floating navigation marks; stopping a small vessel or anchoring within

the fairway, in the zone of bridges and under bridges;

transporting hazardous cargo;
towing small vessels with people on board or under the side.

All small vessels (except for rowing boats, kayaks, and inflatable boats with a carrying capacity of less than 225 kilograms) are subject to mandatory registration and classification. The owner must register a small vessel within 30 calendar days from the date of purchase or acquisition of the small vessel on any other legal basis.

Operation of a small vessel is possible only after registration in the vessel register, application of hull numbers, and technical inspection, conducted immediately after state registration or during its operation.

Based on this, the State Inspectorate for Small Vessels of the Vitebsk region urges citizens to comply with the established requirements when operating small vessels and to ensure the maximum safety of their use. By observing the established safety rules, you guarantee your life and the lives of citizens around you – your life is in your hands. Do not neglect these rules!