Finnish Expert: The Holes in the Side of the Estonian Ferry Can Be Logically Explained

It alleges that the side has been damaged by hooks reminiscent of the front opener of a broken boat, ERR writes.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, Finnish expert Klaus Rahka, a member of the Ferry Tragedy Research Committee in the last decade of the 20th century, argues that the holes in the side of the MS Estonia can be logically explained.

K. Rahka, a doctor of technology specializing in the strength of materials, believes that the holes were opened when the hull was broken by a broken hook at the front of the ferry. The reason the holes were discovered more recently may be that the hull of the ferry has changed over the years.

A team of documentary filmmakers recently discovered two unopened holes in the ferry’s hull. The diameter of the largest hole is up to four meters.

The discovery sparked much speculation, including the hypothesis that the ferry sank into rocks at the bottom or sank in a collision with a submarine.

Mr. Rahkna, now retired, is analyzing various property damage, particularly steel structures, during the last thirty years of his life. It was he who helped select the steel used in the construction of the pressure chamber at the Loviisa nuclear power plant.

He accumulated extensive professional experience and led him to question the latest theory that the holes in the ferry’s hull were due to damage to underwater rocks.

“As an expert, who paid close attention to such violations, I saw the damage caused by non-underwater rocks. That is what led me to prepare an independent analysis of the violations and to conclude that the ship’s bow hook is probably the person responsible for the violations, ”says the expert.

Mr Rahka has already contacted officials in Estonia and Sweden, providing them with a detailed report with calculations and conclusions that have not yet been published.

According to the report, holes appeared in the hull as soon as the front structure of the ship was breached. The theory is based on scientific calculations related to the force of the hook. Also based on the stories of the survivors of the ferry tragedy, people say they heard a rumble that could be spread by a hook slipping off the side of MS Estonia.

The scientist’s observations do not change the conclusions about the causes of the ferry tragedy. The committee found that the accident was due to deficiencies in the construction of the ferry structures, weather conditions and crew errors.

Rahka says the front of the ferry has hooks reminiscent of a can opener. Their analysis indicates that the four meter diameter hole in the side of the ferry is ripped.

The scientist speculates that the front of the ship broke and fell to the right in the direction of the ferry’s movement, injuring the side of the moving ship. An air pocket inside allowed it to stay on the surface for a few tens of seconds, and then it began to sink, dragging the side of the ferry at a speed of seven meters per second.

It was then that the most recently observed holes broke. The scientist’s theory is further supported by the stories of people who survived the ferry tragedy, who tell about famous bumps on the side of the ferry, strange sounds as if someone was cutting metal. According to the scientist, the ship’s front hook, which had detached for a moment, got stuck in the side of the ferry and, before escaping, opened a considerable hole.

According to K. Rahka, it was at that moment that the ferry, according to witnesses, began to shake. The scientist admits that, as with plane crashes, it is difficult to prove a theory in a crazy way: “But that is the most likely explanation.”