25.4
Further Evidence

According to the JAIC Report, Chapter 8.2, the first ROV inspection from the wreck was carried out from the "HALLI" on 2 October 1994. The respective logbook pages have recently been received, although the name "HALLI" is nowhere written on the available pages. According to the logbook entries Tuomo Karppinen and Siimo Aarnio, member and expert of the Finnish JAIC were onboard besides Turunen, Louhivuori and Tenhunen who are unknown. Video recordings by ROV were performed between 12.17 hours - 20.45 hours. The three tapes received from the Finnish JAIC in March 1995 do fall into this time frame, however, substantial parts were cut out in a rather unprofessional way.
Note: During a recent telephone conversation between Tuomo Karppinen and the Swedish journalist Knut Carlqvist
Karppinen revealed that they had made certain cuts already onboard of "HALLI".
Further according to the logbook the first anchor position 59°22,91'N; 21°40,93'E was very close to the wreck, where video recordings took place between 12.17 hours and about 16.30 hours. At 16.40 hours the vessel shifted position to 59°22,54'N; 21°40,51'E where the anchor was dropped at 17.00 hours and video recording started again at 17.15 hours and stopped at 20.45 hours. This second position was about half way between the Mayday position 59°22,0'N; 21°40'E and the wreck position. This second "HALLI" position was in direction 207°, 0.45 nm distant from the wreck.
This means that the video footage provided should show after 17.00 hours only pictures from the seabed because the longest ROV umbilical is 400 m long while the wreck is 0.45 nm = 830 m away. It would also make no sense to lift anchor from a position next to the wreck and move almost 1/2 mile away and then send the ROV back all the way.
Since, however, all three videos submitted by the Finnish JAIC to be raw material show numerous sequences with parts of the wreck well after 17.00 hours it has to be concluded that these videos were not only manipulated by or on behalf of the Finnish JAIC by cutting out vital parts of evidence, but also by changing the times. The reason for this time manipulation is obvious: It was the intention to create the impression that the many interesting objects on the bottom of the sea were lying relatively close to the wreck because the ROV moves away from the stern and views the objects only 2 or 3 minutes later. Actually the ROV did start from a position 0.45 nm = 830 m to the SSW of the wreck and then proceeded another 250-300 mm to the W or SW, i.e. 1100-1200 m to the SSW of the wreck these objects were found, e.g. the ramp rail, the stabiliser fin, parts from the car deck and other objects which the public was prevented from seeing by tape cuts.
This leads to the following conclusions:

(a) The vessel drifted from SSW to NNE.
(b) The vessel was very severely heeled or already upside down in a position about 1000 m to the SSW of the wreck.
(c) Since the ROV found objects were about on the connection line between Mayday position and wreck position, slightly closer to the Mayday position, and the engines had stopped about 10 minutes before the Mayday already, it has to be assumed that the vessel was initially even further to the South, probably 0.5 nm to the SW of the Mayday position at about 01.10/12 hours. According to the 3rd engineer the final speed was 6 kn, i.e. going further back 10 minutes at 6 kn to 01.02 hours when the big heel occurred and the vessel was reportedly turning to port, that is to say 1 nm, the vessel was at 01.02 hours at the approximate position 59°21,6'N; 21°37,8'N, which is not unrealistic. From this position the alleged visor position lies about 30°, 1.2-1.3 nm distant and it is more than doubtful that ESTONIA had ever been up that far in the North.
(d) It has to be concluded that the plot of ESTONIA's track in the JAIC Report on page 173 is completely wrong.

Also from the vessel "TURSAS", used for the ROV inspections on 9/10 October 1994, the logbook page for 9 October was recently made available and has meanwhile been translated. It reveals that according to the logbook entry on 9 October at 10.20 hours three JAIC representatives: Saarikko, Tenhunen and Louhivuori boarded the vessel and ROV equipment was also taken onboard. Tenhunen and Louhivouri had already taken part in the ROV inspection on 2 October.
At 17.30 hours anchor was dropped in position 59°22,93'N; 21°40,73'E which was near the stern of the wreck. At 21.10 hours the anchor was lifted and dropped again 200 m to the NE at 21.25 hours, i.e. to port of the bow of the wreck. Video recording is not mentioned in the log, but the available video covers the time between 21.55 and 02.15 hours on the following day, 10 October 1994. The video recordings made during the 1st anchoring between 17.30-21.10 hours are not available except for a short sequence of 18 seconds found between two cuts at 22.21 and 22.22 hours.