FRITZ REUTER

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Swedish court has acquitted two documentary film-makers of desecration

A Swedish court has acquitted two documentary film-makers of desecration after underwater footage they shot of the wreck of the ferry 'Estonia' on Sep 19, 20919, had raised new questions about the cause of Europe’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. Henrik Evertsson and Linus Andersson sent a remote-operated submersible from the 'Fritz Reuter' down to the vessel which has been designated a graveyard by Finland, Sweden and Estonia. The footage revealed a huge hole in the ship’s side, casting doubt on the findings of an official investigation into the sinking, but Evertsson and Andersson were charged by Sweden with violating the sanctity of the wreck. The Gothenburg district court found on Feb 8, 2021, that the two Swedes, who could have faced heavy fines or up to two years in prison, had “committed acts that are punishable under the so-called Estonia Act” but could not be punished because at the time they were on the German-flagged ship in international waters. The court said Germany was “not bound by the agreement” reached between three countries – Sweden, Estonia and Finland – that had declared the wreck inviolable, and the vessel the team used to send down their robot in September 2019 was “seen as German territory”. An international report in 1997 concluded that the 'Estonia', which was on a routine overnight crossing from Tallinn to Stockholm carrying 803 passengers and 186 crew, sank after its bow doors were wrenched open in a heavy storm, flooding the car deck. Any suggestion that the vessel had been holed was dismissed, but survivors have insisted they heard and felt a loud metallic bang about 50 minutes before the ship sank in about 80 metres of water. Only 138 people were rescued, and only 93 bodies recovered. Groups representing the victims’ families have long called for a fresh investigation, saying the bang – and the extraordinary speed with which the ship sank – were consistent with a collision causing underwater damage to the Estonia’s hull. Others blamed an explosion, which was also ruled out by an inquiry in 2005. The team’s discovery+ documentary, released last year, showed a hole 4 metres high and 1.2 metres long on the ship’s starboard side, which experts said was probably caused by a collision with an object weighing between 1,000 and 5,000 tonnes, travelling at between two and four knots. The film-makers’ findings prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity, with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Finland and Sweden issuing a joint statement agreeing that the “new information presented in the documentary will be verified”. The Estonian prime minister had stated that the film “raises questions that have to be answered”, and in December 2020 Sweden announced plans to amend the law to allow a re-examination of the wreck.

Fritz Reuter breaking Estonia tomb

The "Turva" of the Finnish Coastguard has been monitoring the "Fritz Reuter" which was suspected of violating the tomb of the sunken ferry "Estonia" on Sep 23, 2019. The wreck of the "Estonia" lies in the Baltic about 22 nautical miles from Utö island and is a protected site. The crew of the "Fritz Reuter" had announced in advance that they planned to dive in the area. The dropped off a ROV which was thought to have been used to illegally explore the wreck, and remained submerged for several hours before being brought back to the surface. "We do not know what exactly is going on board the ship at the moment, but the Germans have announced that they are documenting Estonia and will continue their work," said Commander Captain Petteri Partanen of the Western Finland's maritime surveillance section in Yle. The German ship's staff has taken pictures as the Border Guard has carried out its surveillance. According to Partanen, the authorities can do nothing but monitor the situation and inform the ship that there was a burial peace in the area. The German ship was within international waters so they cannot intervene further. The master of aboard the German ship has been given clear instructions and knows that they were breaking the tomb. They have contacted the German authorities who can decide if there are reasons to take action. According to the law on the conservation of the "Estonia"'s wreck, diving at the wreck is prohibited. Under international law, disturbing the site is punishable either by a fine or a one-year jail sentence. The wreck is in international waters, but within Finland's economic zone. Sweden and Estonia have similar laws, but Germany does not. The R&B Shipping did not respond. Finnish report with photos: https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2019/09/25/tyska-fartyget-fritz-reuter-fortfarande-kvar-dar-estonia-forliste