A dive support vessel (DSV) owned by German operator RS Offshore has arrived in the Baltic Sea and has begun surveying the wreckage of the Ro-Pax ferry Estonia, which had sunk in those same waters in an incident that claimed more than 800 lives on September 28, 1994.
The crew of the DSV RS Sentinel will inspect the wreck, which currently lies at a depth of more than 70 metres in international waters off Uto Island, Finland. The inspections will be conducted using sonar, divers, and sensor-equipped robotic vehicles.
The sensor data and other collected evidence will later undergo a thorough analysis to help investigators identify the factors that led to the deadly sinking.
A design team had also developed a 3D model of Estonia's bow visor to enable investigators to locate the ferry's actual bow visor lying on the seabed.
The independent survey expedition is being funded by relatives of the victims of the Estonia disaster.
