The 2020 documentary “Estonia – The Discovery That Changes Everything” revealed a previously unknown hole in the wrecked ship’s hull and led to an investigation to review the information.
This weekend, the National Accident Commission, in collaboration with its Estonian counterpart and Finnish authorities, carried out new dives at the wreck. Jonas Bäckstrand, chairman of the investigation and deputy director general at SHK, announces that the work has gone “very well”.
– We have been able to carry out the investigations that we have set out to do and get results from them, so it works. There are difficult conditions with poor visibility on the lakebed, but good weather on the surface, he says.
The color remains
Among other things, samples have been taken on both the bedrock near the hole and on the plate around the damage.
– We have then been able to film around this hole on the starboard side both internally and externally and can ascertain that there is no destroyed material around as there would have been in the event of an explosion. The color remains, for example, says Jonas Bäckstrand and continues:
– It seems consistent with the hypothesis that the damage occurred when the ship hit the seabed.
The bookgram must be towed
The biggest project at the wreck site still remains: salvaging the bow ramp. The plan is to carry out the “advanced lifting operation” on Monday.
– It is important that you anticipate as many risks as possible and manage them so that you get the ramp up, do not damage it unnecessarily and that no people are injured when you lift it onto the ship, says Jonas Bäckstrand.
The book ramp must then be sent to Estonia for further investigation. At the moment, it is unclear when the entire investigation will be completed, but the hope is that results can be reported in the fall.
Hear Jonas Bäckstrand tell about the finds at Estonia in the video player above.