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fullscreenEstonia’s bow ramp was salvaged in July last year. Archive image. Photo: Magnus Lejhall/TT
There is no evidence that Estonia’s accident was caused by sabotage of the bow ramp. This is now stated by the Accident Commission, reports Sveriges Radio.
The bogram was rescued from the sea this summer and taken to Tallinn. There, the accident commission has had all parts of the ramp examined.
– The investigation shows that the damage found on the ramp is in good agreement with the damage description and incident description that has been reported, says Jörgen Zachau, investigation leader at the Accident Commission, to the radio.
The accident commission’s most important conclusion after the sinking was that the fasteners and locks for Estonia’s bow visor were undersized. When the visor came off, large amounts of water gushed onto the car deck and caused the ship to capsize.
The bogram, the gangway for cars that according to the accident report was torn open when the visor came off, has been the subject of speculation and conspiracy theories over the years. Including that the shipwreck would have been caused by an explosion. This speculation can be written off, according to Zachau.
– We have not found anything that indicates an explosion or anything else.
This year it is 30 years since the sinking on 28 September 1994 when 832 people, of which 501 Swedes, died.