The brilliant video footage produced by the divers of the August 2000 diving expedition – see Chapters 2.3.4/2.3.5 of this Update – made it possible for the first time to analyse in detail the damage  on both front bulkheads of the vessel and subsequently reconstruct, in combination with the very detailed photo documentation of the visor and the now available detailed statements of some of the key witnesses among the survivors, the actual movement of the visor, after its locking and hinges had broken. It is therefore now assumed by this Group of Experts that in all probability an initial very abrupt upwards movement was triggered off by one or more powerful explosions behind the lower part of the starboard front bulkhead and inside and/or below the visor bottom, i.e. underwater because the void space below B-deck behind the starboard front bulkhead and the visor probably up or even above the 2nd stringer level were full of water. This is known to increase the power of any explosive up to 10 times. See also Chapter 18.
This initial and very abrupt upwards and – subsequently - downwards movement of the visor  is now assumed to have taken place in three phases explained below, assisted by a total of nine drawings, which are numbered and to which reference is made  as follows.

The first drawing after this page – numbered 1.0 – shows a side view of the visor and foreship. Five arrows point to areas of interest which are explained as follows:

• Explosion in way of the starboard void space below B-deck and probably inside and/or below the visor. The shock wave cracked off the lower part of the starboard front bulkhead, twisted the bow ramp, pushed up the water inside the visor, smashed the visor itself and the bow ramp closed and caused numerous distortions inside the lower part of the visor. See drawings 1.1.and 1.2 – pages 222 / 223.
  Drawing 1.1 gives an inside view into the visor where the shock wave caused numerous distortions to frames, brackets, stiffeners and stringers.
  Drawing 1.2 shows the same from the starboard side.

• It is assumed that the visor was pushed upwards ca. 430 m – see drawing 2.1. – which caused the following damages:
  
  
  • The lugs of the hydraulic side locks of the visor with the locking bolts inside pushed up the steel of the front bulkheads at port and starboard sides – see Chapters 2.3.4/2.3.5 of this Update and drawings 2.2/2.3 on the following pages – where resulting damages in front of the welds between the lugs and the visor bulkhead are documented.
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• The hook of the port manual (not engaged) side lock did cut through the bulkhead plating into the upper opening for the hydraulic side lock. The hook of the starboard manual side lock (not engaged) became crippled by the explosions inside the void space below B-deck where the manual locking arrange-ment is located below and the hydraulic side lock arrangement above. See the documentation in Chapters 2.3.4/2.3.5 of this Update showing both front bulkheads in detail.

• The port locating horn cracked open the visor plating ca. 430 mm below its initial location - see drawing 2.4 on page 227. The starboard locating horn just caused a few scorings to the visor bulkhead as on the starboard side the visor did not only move upwards but also forward due to the explosion behind the lower part of the starboard front bulkhead.
  
  
• Both visor actuators were torn abruptly upwards. Only the port one was examined by MacGregor on behalf of the JAIC – the starboard one is still attached to the visor. MacGregor reports among other things:

  »Before opening the cylinder it was pressure tested on both sides and it was noted that there was no leakage on lifting side, but the oil went through the piston seals from piston rod side to lifting side. The piston rod was after this pressed completely out to inspect the piston rod condition and it was noticed that there was heavy damages on at the distance when the piston rod is about 400 mm open.«

  This means that the port piston rod was pulled up with such a force that the seals were destroyed. This piston rod was pulled out ca. 400 mm when the vessel heeled already to starboard which explains the damage to this piston rod to be only at the starboard side. Subsequently the visor fell back and the port  piston rod moved back into the cylinder where it stayed.