Shipwreck 30 years after the sinking of the ferry "Estonia" with 852 dead
On September 28, 1994, the Baltic Sea became a silent witness to the biggest shipping disaster in post-war Europe. More than 850 people lost their lives in the devastating sinking of the passenger ferry "Estonia" off the south coast of Finland.
30 years later, not all of the key questions surrounding the tragedy have been answered, including the question of guilt, which is so important for survivors and bereaved families.
"Vem bär ansvaret?" - Who is responsible? - asks the victims' and relatives' foundation SEA on the 30th anniversary of the disaster. It is calling on Swedish politicians to clarify the question of responsibility once and for all through a parliamentary inquiry. That the dead still lying in and around the shipwreck can be identified and, if possible, buried in a dignified manner. And also that the "Estonia" is finally salvaged from the bottom of the Baltic Sea to enable a full investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
These demands will also resonate at a central commemoration at the "Estonia" monument in Stockholm on Saturday. In addition to survivors and relatives, King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson are also expected to attend.
At the same time, many of those affected would like to finally be able to put an end to the accident and the speculation surrounding it. Over the course of 30 years, there has been one crazy theory after another about the cause of the accident, says the bereaved Jonathan Lindström in a recent "Estonia" documentary on Swedish broadcaster SVT.
The passenger ferry set sail from the Estonian capital Tallinn on the eve of September 28, 1994 with 989 people on board, bound for the Swedish capital Stockholm the next morning.
137 people survived
During the night, however, tragedy struck: the ferry suddenly took on water in stormy seas, listing and sinking in just under an hour. Only 137 people on board survived the disaster. 852 died, including around 500 Swedes and five Germans. Not even 100 bodies could be recovered - for the more than 750 other dead, the Baltic Sea became their final resting place.
In a widely criticized investigation report in 1997, the accident commissions from Estonia, Finland and Sweden came to the conclusion that the ferry's torn off bow visor caused the sinking. It is undisputed that this bow visor tore off in the open sea - it was the only part of the ship that was salvaged immediately after the sinking. Huge amounts of water were then able to flow unhindered into the interior of the ship.
However, this explanation for the accident was repeatedly called into question - numerous theories arose as to how it could have happened. Speculation ranged from an explosion on board to the transportation of military equipment to a collision with a submarine.
Truth covered up?
It is still unclear how the "Estonia" could sink so quickly. Another reason for all the speculation was the fact that a political truce was imposed on the wreck and dives to the ship were therefore prohibited. To many, this looked like someone was trying to hide something - was the truth to remain hidden forever at the bottom of the Baltic Sea?
Doubts about the official version were fuelled by the documentary "Estonia - Fyndet som ändrar allt" ("Estonia - the find that changes everything") published in 2020, for which a film team led by Swedish journalist Henrik Evertsson lowered a diving robot to the wreck. A previously unknown hole several meters in size was discovered on the starboard side of the ship's hull.
The authorities then initiated new investigations at sea. In 2023, a first interim report with preliminary assessments was published, which basically did not call into question the conclusions of 1997. The investigators wrote that no signs of an explosion on board or of a collision with a ship or other floating objects had been discovered. And the large hole discovered by the Evertsson documentary? According to the investigations, it was caused by the ferry hitting the hard rock of the seabed.
Not seaworthy at sea
However, one key finding of the preliminary assessments has made relatives and survivors sit up and take notice. "The accident commissions from Sweden and Estonia have determined that the "M/S Estonia" was not seaworthy when it sailed from Tallinn on September 27, 1994," reports SEA chairman Lennart Berglund, whose parents-in-law died in the disaster.
For the victims' and relatives' foundation, the official finding that the ferry was seaworthy is fundamental to coming to terms with the tragedy. The Swedish state must now finally clarify what caused the disaster and who is responsible for it.
SDA
