The present investigation was requested by the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK). The requested task consisted of analyzing material deposited on the hull of the MS Estonia shipwreck, observed in association with the front hole on the starboard side. In summary, material deposited in 13 locations close to the fracture was analyzed in terms of element content, microbial community composition, mineralogy, and particle morphology. A piece of steel, cut out from the sampled area, was also analyzed for reference purposes.

The objective of the conducted analyses was to identify the sources of components found in the sampled material. This expertise involved the participation of three working groups from three universities: Stockholm University, serving as the principal investigator, Örebro University and Lund University.

Link to the report: 2023/24-Estonia (5003 Kb)

Researcher:
Christophe Dupraz^a, Susanne Sjöberg^a, Julie Boisard^b, Courtney Stairs^b, Viktor Sjöberg^c, Pieter T. Visscher^d, Andreas Karlsson^e, Haoyi Yao^a, and Bert Allard^c.

^a Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden
^b Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden
^c Man-Technology-Environment Research Centre (MTM) Örebro University, Sweden
^d Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, USA
^e Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden