The marine works were performed by the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) and the Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau (OJK), facilitated by Finnish authorities in co-operation with the Norwegian company Reach Subsea as the main contractor. Personnel from the Estonian and Swedish Safety Investigation Authorities were on board during the surveys. Also, two representatives of the survivors of the accident were present at the marine surveys – Ants Madar from Estonia and Urban Lambertson from Sweden.
During the week of marine works, bedrock and fouling samples were acquired from near the hole in the starboard side of the hull. Cut-out pieces of the port side plating, which were cut out by divers in 1994 in order to examine the interior of the wreck, were recovered. It was also possible to cut out and recover a steel sample from the damage of the starboard side and recover parts of a cabin window glass and seal. The car deck, including the visor and ramp control panel, located next to the car deck entrance, were inspected with an ROV. The hole of the starboard side was filmed with the ROV from outside the hull as well as from inside through the car deck.
The bow ramp of MV Estonia will at first be stored in a warehouse owned by a private company. The warehouse is located in the Raasiku parish, Harju county, Estonia. In the future, the Estonian Ministry of Economy and Communications will find a suitable permanent location for the ramp.
