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According to the chairman of the “MS Estonia” disaster inquiry commission, according to new information, the ferry sank due to a collision with a submarine. This is what Margus Kurm said on the Estonian TV show “Pealtnägija”.
Several Swedish media had previously reported that documentary makers had found a four-meter hole in the wreckage of the sunken Baltic Sea ferry. Monday September 28 will be the 26th anniversary of the accident. It is still considered the worst European maritime disaster since World War II.
The “MS Estonia” sank on the night of September 28, 1994 with 989 people on board on its way from Tallinn to Stockholm. In the middle of the night, the water suddenly entered the boat. 852 people were killed, including more than 500 Swedes and five Germans. The bodies of only 94 dead have been recovered, more than 750 victims still lie with the wreck off the southern coast of Finland.
How exactly this happened has been debated for years. Now movie recordings seem to solve this puzzle. “That means Estonia didn’t sink because a bow visor broke. It was a collision with something so big that it can create a four-meter hole, “Margus Kurm said on Estonian television. “This is evidence of something that has been speculated for a long time.”
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Because the crack is below the waterline and no other ship is known to have sunk, “the most likely reason is that Estonia collided with a submarine,” Kurm said. According to him, this raises two questions: Where is the damaged submarine? And why did you cut off the “MS Estonia” route?
The images published by the Swede “Aftonbladet” show that the hole was found on the starboard side and was four meters high and 1.20 meters wide. It was found by filmmakers who had sent a diving robot to wreck for the five-part documentary series “Estonia: The Find That Changes Everything.” According to an agreement between several countries, this is actually prohibited because the wreck has the status of a cemetery.
“At first I was surprised,” Kurm said in “Pealtnägija” when asked about his first reaction. “Not because the hole could be seen, but because it was so easily discovered.” According to Kurm, there are two options: either the hole was not filmed at the time or it was filmed but the footage was not released. “The second option is more likely because the footage was lost,” Kurm said.
The Estonian government wants to carry out a technical investigation
Estonian Prime Minister Jueri Ratas spoke of significant new information in light of the new underwater images that had not been previously discussed and required a clear response. “A new technical investigation of the new circumstances in Estonia is necessary,” he said. Estonia would lead the process as the ship’s flag state.
Both Ratas and Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu stressed that an investigation would take into account the graves imposed on the ferry. “It is our wish that the truth finally comes out,” said Rats. A joint statement by the Estonian, Finnish and Swedish Foreign Ministers sounded somewhat more cautious: the new information had been noted and is now being evaluated.
However, one is based on the official investigation report from 1997. According to the report, the 55-ton plucked bow visor, which did not withstand the stresses of the rough sea, was the cause of the sinking. However, there is still speculation about the cause of the accident, survivors and bereaved relatives have been calling for years to restart the investigation.
According to the expert opinion of the investigation report, the misfortune was due to a design error at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, which built the ship in 1980. The company subsequently submitted its own report in 2000. Result: The ship was delivered without flaws, but remained negligent.
There were also explosions on board. In fact, survivors have reported loud outbursts. There was speculation about the holes in the hull, which could now be explained by the sub’s collision. As Swedish officials later admitted, the weapons had been transported in Estonia on previous trips on instructions from higher authorities.
From the beginning there were also doubts about the number of victims. According to official information, it is said that 186 crew members and 803 passengers were on board. However, some passengers may not have identified themselves at all. Because, especially among young people, it was common on the Baltic Sea ferries to buy only a ticket for the crossing and not a cabin. (with dpa)
