On Wednesday, new investigations will begin at the wreck after Estonia. The state accident commission is present along with its Estonian counterpart, as well as two survivors of the disaster.
– There has been a lot of criticism and skepticism about the previous investigation, but also criticism about a lack of transparency. We are keen for the group of survivors to gain insight into the work we are doing, says Jonas Bäckstrand, chairman of the investigation at the National Accident Commission.
In connection with the new investigations, the ship’s bow ramp will be salvaged and the car tire will be filmed, this with the hope of getting a clearer picture of how the sinking actually happened.
The idea is to be on site at the wreck for five to six days, starting later on Wednesday evening, says Jonas Bäckstrand.
– Above all, it is about obtaining as many facts as possible. Last year, the ship was photographed to a very extensive extent on the outside, and now we hope to be able to get footage of what it looks like inside the car deck, he says.
– The same applies to the bow ramp that we intend to pick up in order to be able to investigate on land and see to what extent we can verify the results of the previous investigation.
“Try to answer the question marks that were there”
In short, the new investigations are about examining how the holes on Estonia’s starboard side came about. They also want to “try to answer the question marks that existed about the course of the sinking” as well as the rapid water penetration, says Jonas Bäckstrand.
– We want to look at who we can find for damage to car tires and how they fit together the previous explanation of how it happened. It should also be said that we have no facts that indicate anything other than what the previous report concluded, he says.
According to the investigation conducted in 2022, they were the bow visor that came loose and tore open the ramp of the ship. This contributed to the massive water intrusion on car tires, which then resulted in Estonia losing stability and sinking.
Last year’s investigation also shows that the holes on the starboard side only appeared when the ship hit the bottom.
Survivors on board
In connection with the new investigation of the wreck, one survivor from Sweden and one from Estonia are present. The idea is that their presence will increase transparency in the work on site, says Jonas Bäckstrand.
– We have offered them to be on board as observers. My impression is that so far they are satisfied – they attend our meetings and follow what we do.
The intention is to publish the new results as soon as possible. Jonas Bäckstrand assumes that it will be sometime in the fall, depending on what material you manage to collect.