New M/S Estonia report: military technology carried on doomed ship

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Estonian officials did not know about the transport of military equipment on the car and passenger ferry M/S Estonia. The Estonia Commission of the Estonian Parliament reported on Tuesday that military goods were transported on the ship twice in September 1994 shortly before it sank while en route from Tallinn to Stockholm, killing 852 people on board.
      The commission, comprising Estonian Members of Parliament, rejected a claim by Sweden’s former intelligence chief Erik Rossander, who said that Estonia had asked Sweden to analyse Soviet weapons technology in 1994. The committee based its findings on interviews.
     
The report was hotly awaited in Estonia, as military materiel transported on the ship has been seen by many to have been the reason for the sinking, although the official finding has been that the bow door visor broke in a heavy storm, allowing water to enter the car deck.
     
According to Sweden’s Minister of Defence Mikael Odenberg, Sweden is willing to hand over all possible material concerning the Estonia accident to the Estonians. "We have no reason or desire to withhold information from the Estonians", he said on Tuesday.
      However, Sweden is opposed to any new investigations into the disaster. "Each report has a tendency to create demands for new reports", Odenberg said.
      The Estonian commission also wants to lift the gag order that prevents divers who have investigated the wreck of the ship from disclosing their findings. Odenberg says that such a move is possible.
     
Odenberg also promised that officials would be provided with photographs and videotapes related to the Estonia.
      Swedish Green politician Lars Ångström said earlier in the autumn that the divers of the Swedish Defence Forces entered the wreck of the vessel after the sinking. He backed up his claims with pictures that suggested that there had been changes in the wreck just a few days after the sinking.
      There is still intense discussion going on in Estonia over various theories linked with the disaster. Even now, one of the six members of the commission submitted a dissenting opinion, expressing the view that the Estonia was deliberately sunk over the clandestine weapons transport.
      Other members also believe that the advanced radar and listening technology left by the Soviets in Estonia was of interest to several intelligence services, and that there may have been other transports.
      A majority of the group also called on the government to continue to search for people who had been declared missing, but who may have survived the sinking; there is widespread belief in Estonia that such people exist.
      Previous Estonian committees have been at odds with the international Estonia commission.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Estonia disaster commemorated in three Baltic countries (29.9.2004)
  Sweden issues arrest warrant for leaders of Estonia diving expedition (10.10.2000)
  Estonia dives over: One Eagle heads south (30.8.2000)

Links:
  M/S Estonia Disaster (Wikipedia)

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