Marine tourism in Kamchatka has drawn the attention of regulatory authorities amid a growing volume of passenger traffic. The regional transport prosecution office has identified widespread safety violations in the organization of commercial voyages within the waters of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky port and Russkaya Bay. Eleven entrepreneurs and vessel operators have been held administratively liable.
The primary issue identified was the systematic exceeding of allowable passenger loads on boats. To maximize revenue during the busy season, owners carried fifteen or more people on board, whereas technical regulations strictly limit the capacity of small vessels to twelve passengers. This overloading creates substantial risks during multi-hour excursions in open waters.
During the inspections, officials also recorded instances of commercial transportation operating without the required transport licenses. In the popular Russkaya Bay, which serves as a key destination for travelers, an unauthorized mooring base for tourist vessels was discovered. The facility was functioning without the mandatory permit from the relevant regulatory agency.
Following the oversight activities, the violators received fines for breaching passenger capacity limits, conducting illegal business operations, and maintaining unauthorized moorings. The regulatory intervention has already begun to shift the industry toward compliance – two vessel owners promptly secured the necessary documentation. Marine tours remain a highly sought-after attraction on the peninsula, with the average cost of an eight-hour route ranging from seven thousand to twenty thousand rubles.