Thursday. 28.03.2024

The shipwreck of the Baltic Sea ferry M/S Estonia that sunk in 1994 is to be re-examined by divers in summer, Swedish authorities announced on Friday, according to a report by broadcaster SVT.

Preliminary examinations of the wreck of the M/S Estonia are to take place in July, followed by complex photographic analyses using 3D technology.

Last year, a documentary was released with previously unseen images of two large holes in the hull of the M/S Estonia, sparking renewed interest in what is considered Europe's worst maritime disaster since World War II.

To figure out what caused the holes, the ship's hull now has to be reconstructed, among other things.

A 1997 inquiry found that the ferry sank after its bow door was torn off in a storm as it travelled from the Estonian capital, Tallinn, to Stockholm.

Of the 989 people aboard, only 137 survived the disaster on September 28, 1994.

Speculation

Speculation on the disaster's cause continues to this day, and survivors and relatives of the victims have long called for the investigation to be opened again.

After the footage was released in September, Estonia, Finland and Sweden said they would conduct a joint investigation led by Estonia, the ship's flag state.

The documentary filmmakers who released the new footage were initially taken to court for violating the location of the wreck, as it had been declared a grave site and diving had been banned there.

Investigators to re-examine wreck of Baltic Sea ferry M/S Estonia