Encroachments against the Safety of Maritime Navigation in Russian and International Criminal Law

Abstract

Introduction. The necessity of criminalising acts against the safety of maritime navigation in na- tional legislation is based on the requirement to comply with the international obligations. The relevance of the research is that the implementation of such criminalisation is not always carried out in a timely and adequate manner. Тhe author’s versions of the criminal law can be used by the legislator to further improve the Criminal Code. Theoretical Basis. Methods. The methodological basis of the study was a set of both general scientific and private scientific methods of cognition. In particular these included the analysis, synthesis, comparative, formal and the legal. Special attention was paid to the international legal standards, and the regulation of criminal liability for encroachments against security sea shipping. Results. The article analyses the regulations at the national level governing the crime of acts which infringe upon the safety of navigation at sea and in the river space. This is Art. 211 “Hijacking of an aircraft or water transport or railway rolling stock” and Art. 227 “Piracy” as provided for in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The article considers the provisions corresponding to these from international treaties, and investigates the problems of compliance in implementing norms of the Russian criminal law with the basic contractual provisions. At the same time, international acts are analysed in their latest and current version, taking into account all the changes and additions made to them. Discussion and Conclusion. As a result of the study, the authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to make alterations to the national criminal legislation to bring it in line with the current international standards due to the absence of provisions in it regarding liability for crimes committed against sea vessels, as well as on board or against fixed platforms located on the continental shelf. At the same time, the authors propose specific additions to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In particular, these are on the inclusion of certain signs of corpus delicti relating to the number of qualifying items, and which also indicate the need to formulate specific criminal law norms providing for liability for crimes against sea vessels, as well as on board or against fixed platforms located on the continental shelf.