Marine Forensics

 

Investigating and resolving crimes, mishaps, or incidents that take place in or near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, seas, oceans, or other waterways, is the primary focus of the specialised discipline of forensic science known as marine forensics.

To address a wide range of incidents relating to marine environments, this interdisciplinary field integrates concepts from numerous scientific and forensic disciplines.

It involves the application of various forensic methods and strategies to gather, examine, and decipher data pertaining to maritime offences and incidents. Monitoring biodiversity requires an understanding of how groups react to changes in their environment.

Marine forensic experts may travel to lakes, rivers, coastal areas, or even deep-sea habitats, depending on the nature of the study. They examine and reconstruct events, identify causes, and provide expert testimony in criminal cases in conjunction with law enforcement. From resolving maritime accidents to protecting marine ecosystems and combating maritime crime, marine forensic science is essential for tackling a variety of issues facing the marine environment. In marine environments, investigators in this sector are essential to preserving legal and environmental requirements, enhancing safety, and offering solutions.

 

FORENSIC SIGNIFICANCE OF MARINE FORENSICS

The occurrences and crimes that happen in or around bodies of water, marine forensics is extremely important to the field of forensics. It facilitates the determination of culpability, the prosecution of offenders, environmental preservation, enhanced safety, and the provision of expert testimony in court. Marine forensic science is crucial for solving a variety of problems in the maritime and aquatic realms. It fulfils a number of important forensic functions, such as:

When it comes to figuring out what causes and what circumstances contribute to maritime incidents, like shipwrecks, boating mishaps, and collisions, marine forensics is crucial. In order to recreate events, determine culpability, and avert further accidents, investigators examine the evidence and use forensic concepts.

Illegal fishing, human trafficking, smuggling are the criminal activities that occur in marine environments which plays a crucial role in investigating. Marine forensic specialists support law enforcement organisations in the investigation and investigation of maritime crimes by gathering and evaluating evidence.

During the cases of drowning, these forensic experts play a major role by providing the cause of death and manner of death by Diatom test. This test tells about the ante-mortem and post-mortem drowning. If the person was alive during the drowning there are high chances to aspirate the water. During post-mortem the Sternum bone and lungs are checked for the presence of Diatoms in the person. With the help of these test also the Investigating Officer can link to the crime location by testing the water body sample, whether the diatoms found in the corpse matching with the suspected location or not.

Because of the underwater conditions, recovering and preserving evidence in the maritime environment can be difficult. Experts in marine forensics are taught how to collect and record evidence from underwater crime scenes using specific tools and methods. Submerged automobiles, wreckage, and items connected to criminal activity are examples of this type of evidence.

Marine forensics helps to identify the Archaeological investigation, by studying historical sites and shipwrecks. This research advances our knowledge of maritime history and contributes to the preservation of cultural resources.

Marine forensics helps with safety enhancements and preventative initiatives by looking into marine occurrences and determining their causes. The marine and boating industries may benefit from improved training procedures, increased safety and altered regulations as a result of the findings.

Expert testimony from marine forensic specialists is frequently used in court to help juries and judges comprehend the consequences of cases involving the sea as well as complicated scientific data.

 

THE FOLLOWING ARE GLOBAL MARITIME FORENSICS ORGANISATIONS: -

1. Northwest Fisheries Science Centre (NWFSC)
2. Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
3. Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)
4. Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA)
5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

 

CASE STUDY RELATED TO MARINE FORENSICS

 

The identification of a Dutch warship from the 17^th century that washed up off the coast of England carrying slabs of exquisite Italian marble has finally been revealed by scientists.

Incident : - Constructed in 1656 and under the ownership of the Rotterdam Admiralty, the ship participated in every significant conflict during the 1665–1667 Anglo–Dutch War. The wreck was formerly known as the "Unknown Wreck off Eastbourne" and is located 32 metres below the surface of the sea. The ship was found in 2019 after sinking in 1672. The discovery was considered so much important that it was protected in the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

They used evidence gathered from the wreck by a team of professional and volunteer divers, as well as archival research and tree ring analysis of the wood samples.

Findings : - The wreck's exceptional state may provide a plethora of insights into the construction of Dutch ships throughout the 17th century and the warship's operations on its last journey. The huge wooden hull structure, iron and bronze cannons, Italian marble tiles, and fragments of northern European and Italian ceramics are among the variety of materials discovered on the seabed. The exquisitely carved marble tiles originate from quarries in the Apuan Alps near Carrara, Italy. The assemblage consists of many enormous stone blocks, the largest being 3.75 metres in length. 

Discovery of the site

The UK Hydrographic Office initially categorised the wreck as an anomaly on the seabed in 2015 during a hydrographic study. Only in 2019 David Ronnan, an Eastbourne-based local dive boat operator validates the preliminary results of the geophysical investigation and find evidence of a shipwreck. Dave reported the discovery to the CEO of the Nautical Archaeology Society, Mark Beattie-Edwards, as soon as the first dive took place in April 2019. Following that, he notified Historic England, which subsequently advised DCMS to conserve the wreck.

Identifying the wreck

By August 2020, historical research carried out in the Netherlands and the UK, along with a study of the artefacts, had all pointed to the wreck being of Dutch origin. A survey conducted by the NAS, which involved recovering two cut stone tiles for examination by the investigation team. The stone was recognised as marble using petrographic investigation (the process of examining rock under a microscope), mineral composition, and isotope analysis. Identified the stone as being marble from the Apuan Alps quarries close to Carrara, Italy, which is the home to some of the finest marble in the world.

A number of pieces of Italian majolica pottery with artistic designs indicating a 17th-century date and originating from the region around Savona, west of Genoa, have been discovered with Italian marble tiles in the wreck.

A few wood samples were taken from the location in 2022 in order to conduct dendrochronological, or tree-ring, study. Only a few oak and conifer hull boards have been tested thus far; more are expected to be retrieved in 2023. The dating of the shipwreck's sole structural oak timber, which was done by DendroArch with funding from Historic England, shows that at least some of the wood used in the ship's construction came from modern-day Germany—a region where the Dutch once obtained their wood in the 17th century. It also draws attention to the oak structural timbers' potential for dating.

 

Reference:

1. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/dutch-warship-identity-england-coast-b2270239.html
2. https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/klein-hollandia
3. https://forensicfield.blog/marine-forensics-when-environment-meets-forensics/ 
4. Video related to the discovery of warship
5. Video related to the discovery of warship