Authorities have concluded the investigation into the 1994 sinking of the MV Estonia citing the failure of the ferry’s bow section as the cause of the incident.
On September 28, 1994, the Estonian-flagged ferry Estonia sank during the regular route from Tallinn to Stockholm.
There were 989 people on board – only 137 survived. 852 people died in the accident and the bodies of 95 drowned people were found. Most of the victims were Swedish (501) and Estonian (285) citizens.
“The damage on the starboard side of the wreck has originated from contact with the seabed. Our work also delivers comprehensive up-to-date documentation of the wreck’s condition, the sequence of events, and the wider systemic factors that caused the accident,” states Märt Ots, director of the Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau (OJK).
The wreck has significant damage and it has shifted remarkably on the seabed during the decades. The shape of the starboard-side damage corresponds well with the exposed bedrock close to it. The wreck’s condition will continue to deteriorate over time, making the occurrence of new deformations possible.
“Although the wreck covering operations in the mid-nineties have been heavily criticized, archived documents from those surveys have been valuable evidence for the PA. Based on those documents, we managed to reconstruct the wreck’s position and orientation movements on the seabed. Therefore, it is possible to demonstrate why the previously unknown damage was not visible in the nineties but was revealed later due to the wreck movement,” said Tauri Roosipuu, Investigator-In-Charge of the OJK.
Findings
- No evidence of collision or explosion. There is no indication of a collision with another vessel or object when the vessel was afloat, nor any signs of explosive force in the starboard side or the bow area.
- Bow visor and ramp failures confirmed. Examination of the recovered bow ramp and modelling of the bow structure collapse remain consistent with the 1997 JAIC findings: the bow visor failed under wave loads, causing the ramp to open and flooding to commence on the car deck.
- Sinking sequence reaffirmed. Updated modelling supports the established scenario: rapid water ingress through the bow ramp leading to capsize of the vessel. Alternative sequences, including flooding from the starboard-side opening, are incompatible with the calculations, witness statements and other collected evidence.
- Seaworthiness assessment. A combined OJK–SHK assessment states that MV Estonia was not seaworthy due to uninspected, thus unrecognized, structural weaknesses and undocumented regulatory exemptions on certificates.
“The vessel had latent structural deficiencies, through all her lifetime, and was technically unsafe for trade. However, this was not acknowledged among the relevant stakeholders – neither on board nor at shore,” Swedish Chair the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK), Jonas Bäckstrand, added.
- Survivor interviews: Witness statements from 68 survivors have been collected.
“The interviews indicate that some amount of water was observed coming from the car deck to the cabin area below. They also indicate that no military vehicles were loaded. Many of the witnesses expressed their reluctance to the idea of covering the wreck. In addition, they did not understand why the bodies of the deceased were not recovered,” states Jörgen Zachau, Investigator-In-Charge of the SHK.
Based on all available evidence, it can be concluded that MV Estonia sank due to the failure of the bow structure, and that the new damage on the starboard side resulted from contact with the seabed. Therefore, the report concluded there is no need to reopen the safety investigation of the accident of MV Estonia.
As regrettable as the MV Estonia disaster was, it led to drafting and implementing of new common rules, especially related to bow structure and vessel stability, reinforcement of the existing ships and developing the life-saving appliances
Download the report: MV Estonia Final Report