Forensic Characteristics of Incidents on Water Transport: Concepts, Classification, Features of the Inspection of the Scene and the Organization of the Investigation

The purpose of the study. The article analyzes the forensic characteristics of incidents on water transport: concepts; classification; features of the inspection of the scene and the organization of the investigation Conclusions. Transport logistics, in all its diversity, continuously expanding and becoming more complex, fully exposed to such evolutionary social processes as widespread digitalization, is an integral component of a modern dynamically and effectively developing society, related to the sphere of national interests and directly related to economic and state sovereignty. Accidents in the transport sector, especially those that caused death and injury to people, associated with large economic losses (causing significant material damage), accompanied by visual external manifestations (crashes, explosions, fires, etc.) invariably and everywhere cause a great public outcry. Inspection of the accident site and further investigation of accidents on water transport have a large number of specific features (in more than half of cases, in connection with the flooding of the vessel, the accident site, in its classical sense, may generally be absent as such or be difficult to access (inaccessible), for example, the seabed at great depth), and require the presence of a wide range of special knowledge and skills in the field of water transport and the specifics of the organization of communication in this area, this is reasonably associated with the use of high-tech equipment (diving, deep-sea) and entails the need to involve specialized specialists in the investigation. The most valuable source of objective evidentiary information, in this case, are conclusions on a wide range of forensic examinations, both specialized—water-technical, and taking into account the specific situation, many others.