Privately funded expedition ends investigations into M/S Estonia wreck

A privately funded team of experts from Estonia has finished its investigations at the wreck of the Baltic Sea ferry named M/S Estonia, which sank in 1994.

"The weather and visibility near the wreck were not perfect. However, we managed to do almost everything we had to do," said expedition leader Margus Kurm, according to the Estonian newspaper Postimees on Friday.

According to the report, the diving and surveying work at the accident site was completed on Thursday evening.

The research vessel is now on its way back to the Dutch port of Eemshaven.

The expedition is being carried out on behalf of the ship disaster's bereaved families' organization, parallel to an official investigation by state authorities.

For this purpose, a research vessel had set off to the accident site on September 18 to examine the wreck and the surrounding seabed.

Goals achieved

"The goals we had set ourselves before the expedition were generally achieved," Kurm said, expressing satisfaction with the progress of the operation.

The Estonia sinking is considered the worst shipping disaster in Europe since World War II. The ferry sank off the south coast of Finland on the night of September 28, 1994, with 989 people on board on its way from Tallinn to Stockholm.

Only 137 survived, while 852 died.

According to the official investigation report from 1997, the torn bow visor was the cause of the sinking. However, there are still doubts about the cause of the accident.