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The government wants to meet with the Swedish Accident Investigation Board and make changes to the Severe Peace Law, to allow underwater investigations into the Estonian wrecks. The purpose is to examine previously unknown holes in the hull.
Interior Minister Mikael Damberg (S) says that the Swedish Accident Investigation Board (SHK) has requested that the government take steps to carry out underwater studies at M / S Estonia.
– The government has no plans to repeal the Tomb Peace Act, however we will investigate how the law can be adapted to allow for the investigations that the Swedish Accident Investigation Board wants to do. I look forward to a close dialogue with the Riksdag on this issue, says Damberg.
According to Damberg, the goal is to implement changes to the law during the first half of 2021.
I should examine the holes
In this fall’s acclaimed television documentary on Estonia, a previously unknown hole was shown in the ship’s hull. John Ahlberk, CEO of the Swedish Accident Investigation Board, says the purpose of the investigations is to seek answers on how the holes arose in the outbreak.
– This may involve, for example, examinations and documentation of the ship’s hull, in particular of the existing damage to the hull and the two holes that have not been previously documented. This, in turn, may require that parts of the hull covered by sediment have to be exposed. It can also mean that the interior of the ship in relation to the relevant holes needs to be documented, says Ahlberk.
Ahlberk says nothing has so far emerged in the preliminary assessment that gives SHK reason to question the findings of the 1997 Accident Investigation Board’s final report.
It is not yet clear how the investigation will be carried out in detail, but SHK may need to take material samples from parts of the hull adjacent to the well.
– I can also mention that it is not relevant at the moment to go down with human divers, but it is a matter of equipment that can be controlled remotely, says John Ahlberk.
Requires change of law
In February 1995, the governments of Sweden, Finland and Estonia agreed to protect M / S Estonia as the last resting place for accident victims from all disruptive activities. Investigating authorities have now agreed that subsea surveys of the site are deemed necessary in order to complete the preliminary assessment.
According to the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board, the current legal situation prevents underwater investigations and therefore the government has been asked to review the legislation. Furthermore, the Commission wants the government to ensure that no further investigations are punished in countries other than Sweden.
Prior to the decision, the Accident Investigation Board held a dialogue meeting with family members and survivors of the disaster. The Home Secretary believes that many people appreciate today’s announcement that more investigations can be carried out.
– I still think that it is an important message that accident commissions want to carry out new investigations based on this information, and that they take it seriously. So there certainly can be family members and survivors who will still feel, when all is clear, that there are still unanswered questions about one of the worst disasters of our time, and I think that’s human too, Mikael Damberg tells TT.
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