A patrol boat M-32 briefly crossed into Russian waters after a technical failure on the Narva river, then returned to Estonia within minutes.
On Sunday, April 26, a patrol boat of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) ended up in Russian waters of the Narva River due to a technical malfunction, but managed to return to Estonian territory on its own.
According to the border guard service, the incident was reported promptly after the malfunction.
The PPA explained that at 12:10 the patrol boat M-32, which was on duty on the Narva in Narva-Jõesuu, suffered a technical malfunction.
As a result, the boat with a crew of three was swept into Russian waters.
Due to strong winds, the boat could not be held even with the anchor dropped into the water
– operational duty officer of the Ida Prefecture, Silver Pialsing
He added that the incident had been reported to the Russian border service.
About 15 minutes later, the crew managed to return the vessel to Estonian waters.
Incident near Narva: details and conclusions
The incident did not cause significant damage to the crew, and the boat quickly returned to Estonian waters.
Following the event, Estonian coast guard services confirmed that the situation remained under control, and the boat returned to the safety of Estonian waterways.