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SVT was the first to interview Linus Andersson, who is now accused of violating the law on protection of the peace of the grave in the wreck of the Estonian passenger ship.
Linus Andersson was aboard the German-flagged ship a year ago to study screenshots that came from a naval robot in the Estonian wreck.
It was he who controlled the underwater robot that filmed what has dominated the news stream in recent days: a four-meter-high, 1.2-meter-wide hole on the starboard side of the Estonian hull.
– We saw the hole and thought “what the hell is this?” They were very upset, he tells Expressen.
He recounts how “it suddenly seemed like the ship was running low” when they discovered large and hitherto unknown hull damage.
– When you come across something that is not expected, you stop and go through the situation. We discuss whether it is possible that we have already arrived at the event on the boat. The ship just disappeared, he says.
He tells SVT that everyone on the film crew was very surprised by the find and that they had not seen such a large tear in the footage from previous investigations.
According to Andersson, an expert in examining wrecks and former naval officers, the hole was caused by a strong external force, either on the surface of the water or when the ship hit the bottom.
“Everything else is pushed in”
– Actually, there is one piece of sheet metal that is blown out, while everything else is pressed in. It can indicate that something has hit and then has come out again. As a former naval officer, I know there are containers and other things that have been dropped overboard and float and can cause damage. But I don’t want to speculate, he tells SVT.
Linus Andersson tells Expressen that the hole can be ruled out as being caused by a detonation from inside the ship.
– I think the head wound shows very clearly that it is a force from the outside in. Especially since it curves inward and the fender is completely wrinkled. That it would be a force from within, probably most people have already ruled out, due to the documentation we have done.
– It can be an external force. But I don’t want to speculate whether it was a submarine or a ship, but just an external force. Whether it has reached the surface or the bottom, I can’t say anything either. But we have found an injury that we have documented and I think there is no direct basis to move forward or make a decision about it. But I see it as a base to do a more extensive or detailed documentation.
Linus Andersson calls for a new survey in Estonia
Linus Andersson believes that the government should now take the initiative for a new investigation.
– With the methods that exist today, I don’t see any reason not to. And the methods that we use are called photogrammetry, to get these very high resolution models. So there is technology to examine the wreck at a level that is almost the same as if it were on land. I definitely think you should do a large-scale documentation of the wreck.
Linus Andersson himself is now accused of violating the law for the protection of serious peace. The reason is that diving around Estonia is prohibited, as it is considered a cemetery.
It’s charged
Furthermore, he tells SVT that he believes the law should be changed, that he is innocent and that “Sweden cannot enforce its own legislation in international waters.”
At the same time, understand why the law exists.
– I understand that the law exists to protect the wreck after Estonia. It was also important to me with the ethical and moral aspects. But when I heard that the family association was almost encouraging us, I felt safe, he tells SVT.
Sweden, Finland and Estonia have decided that peace must prevail in the Estonian shipwrecks. Violation of this can result in a fine and imprisonment of up to two years. Germany, on the other hand, has never passed such a law, and it was on a German-flagged ship that Linus Andersson was on.
Survivor Rolf Sörman believes the previous investigation was biased and did a poor job
