The passenger ferry “Toll”, on which Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaida went to Muhu Island on Wednesday, has become unmanageable near the Kuivastu pier due to technical reasons, but according to the BNS news agency, the causes of the damage are currently unknown.
A ferry running between Virtsu on the Estonian mainland and Kuivastu on Muhu Island crashed into a berth at a speed of four knots (approximately seven kilometers per hour) at around 2.40 pm, resulting in a deformed car ramp. Records of the security cameras of the ferry port show that the impact was very strong, but no people were injured in the incident and no serious external damage was visible in the hull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeVMhJ0CP4
The windshield and bonnet of the president’s car were damaged at the time of the collision.
According to unconfirmed information, the ferry crew on the bridge just before calling Kuivastu found that the ship had become unsteerable and its speed could not be reduced in the normal way, so the ship had reached the berth at the speed it normally is, only approaching it.
During the trip, Kaljulaida was also on the bridge, but according to the presidential spokesperson Tavi Linnamäe, she was no longer there at the time of the accident. According to BNS, at the time of the collision, the president and the ferry captain had headed for the car.
The Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau has not yet launched an investigation into what happened, but is ready to do so if it turns out to be justified.
“At the moment, we believe that nothing has happened that would require a change in regulations and processes, so we have not yet initiated an investigation,” Rene Arikas, head of the office, told the agency. According to him, the investigation has been entrusted to the Traffic Department for the time being, and its officials visited the scene on Wednesday, heard witnesses, and examined video camera recordings and equipment.
Trina Ruma, the head of the press service of the ferry operator “TS Laevad”, refused to comment on the causes of the incident on Thursday.
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