From: Gregg Bemis

Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 4:48 PM

To: 'mvestonia@safety-at-sea.co.uk'

Research Study on Sinking Sequence of MV Estonia

Dear Mr. Källström:

With regards your request for pertinent information concerning the cause of the sinking of the Estonia, I would like to submit the following with which you should be, and probably are, familiar.

During our August 2000 diving investigation of the wreck of the Estonia, we very carefully cut off two small pieces of the distorted forward bulkhead where the Visor met the ship’s frame. These two pieces were submitted to two German and one leading American engineering research laboratories for testing. As you also no doubt know, metal reacts quite differently to mechanical versus explosive forces.

All three labs concluded that these pieces had been subjected to explosive forces. They found interior twinning which could NOT have been the result of either mechanical forces such a might have occurred if the visor was removed by wave action, nor would steel shot cleaning have produced this result if you wish to assume that such cleaning had taken place during construction.

Most of the experts who have evaluated this matter concur that an explosive force had been exerted at this point either before or after the sinking. There are interesting theories for each. The main point is to recognize this otherwise unexplained event and build it into your consideration. Without further investigation, I will not opine on why or how the area was subjected to explosive (versus mechanical) force, but to ignore or deny the reality of this technical analysis is inappropriate for your careful and hopefully thorough review of this tragedy.

Sincerely,

F. Gregg Bemis Jr.