This survey will be the follow-up survey for the high-resolution seabed imaging sonar survey conducted in November 2023. About 300 presumably man-made objects were detected and located by the sonar survey in the area of the proposed sinking tracks of MV Estonia. Now, the purpose of the follow up survey is to identify the detected objects seen on the sonar image, verify whether these originate from MV Estonia and from which part of the vessel, if possible. This is done by observing and filming some of the objects with the underwater camera carried by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
“A sonar image is typically a matter of interpretation – from the duotone image we can see the size and shape of an object, but not the colours, materials, small details and different angles of it,” says Tauri Roosipuu, Marine Casualty Senior Investigator at OJK. “The ROV survey is necessary to specify the results of the sonar survey and to make more defined conclusions about the sinking track of MV Estonia – to understand what is seen on the sonar images and what it says about the vessel’s sinking track.”
The vessel’s sinking track will be used as an input for the numerical flooding simulations to be started this summer and completed a year later.
The additional follow-up marine survey will be conducted thanks to the cost-effective co-operation between OJK, the Estonian State Fleet and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
Estonian State Fleet multipurpose icebreaker EVA-316 will be used as a survey platform – this vessel was also used during the first marine surveys at the wrecksite in July 2021. ROV with competent personnel is provided by EMSA through the ROV service, which has been launched to support the Accident Investigation Bodies (AIBs) of the Member States and other interested maritime stakeholders.
