Russian General Prosecutor's Office tasked by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in connection with the Bulgaria sinking case, has conduct a large-scale inspection of the country’s water transport compliance with safety requirements, the agency press service said.
The law enforcement agency found that the age of over 700 passenger vessels is well over 30 years.
Prosecutor’s Office established that shipowners neglect technical condition of river boats and safety rules. There were not a few cases when the passengers did not have enough life-saving equipment.
Other violations of safety rules include expired licenses, pirated software for navigation devices, certificates of ship’s seaworthiness that do not meet the requirements, etc.
Following the results of the inspection, over 800 people were brought to account, 500 claims were filed with the court. There are also six criminal cases being investigated, the agency said.