The Estonia Disaster: A Bottomless Source Of Learning

Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.
December 15, 2020
© Karl Allen Lugmayer / Adobe Stock
The sinking of the Estonia ro-ro passenger ferry stands out as one of the most disastrous accidents in modern times. The tragedy claimed 852 lives and the wreck was declared a marine graveyard. At first glance, the sinking seems to have been triggered by a single technical failure only minutes before the point of no return, with no warning signs. The first objective of this review was to verify whether the pattern of typical major accidents can be found in the Estonia disaster. The usual pattern involves multiple human errors combined with an immature organizational culture. Our detailed review of the Estonia sinking revealed several characteristics of typical major accidents in the chain of events leading up to it. However, the review also made it clear that, to be sure about what really happened, a thorough reinvestigation of the accident is necessary. To fully understand the story, we first need a short recap of the ro-ro ferry disasters.

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