Cruiseferry MS Scandinavian Star in Lysekil harbour, Sweden. It was towed to Lysekil after a fire broke out during a cruise between Oslo, Norway and Fredrikshavn, Denmark, 7 April 1990. 157 passengers and two crewmembers lost their lives in the fire. Photo By Terje Fredh, Sjöhistoriska museet - Digitalt Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0

:MAYDAY CALL: Scandinavian Star Is On Fire!

MS Estonia was a cruiseferry built in 1980 at the German shipyard Meyer Werft in Papenburg. In 1993, she was sold to Nordström & Thulin for use on Estline's Tallinn–Stockholm route. The ship's sinking on 28 September 1994, in the Baltic Sea between Sweden, Åland, Finland and Estonia, was one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century, claiming 852 lives.

The official report concluded that the bow door had separated from the vessel, pulling the ramp ajar. The ship was already listing because of poor cargo distribution, and the list increased rapidly, flooding the decks and the cabins. Shortly, power failed altogether, inhibiting search and rescue, and a full-scale emergency was not declared for 90 minutes. Of the 989 on board, 138 were rescued. The report criticised the passive attitude of the crew, failing to notice that water was entering the vehicle deck, delaying the alarm, and providing minimal guidance from the bridge.

Estonia - Mayday 28.09.1994

MS Jan Heweliusz was a Norwegian-built Polish ferry named after astronomer Johannes Hevelius (Polish: Jan Heweliusz) that served on the route Ystad-Świnoujście. It was built in Norway in 1977 and was owned by Polish Ocean Lines and operated by its subsidiary company Euroafrica Shipping Lines. In the early hours of 14 January 1993 it capsized and sank in 27 metres of water off Cape Arcona on the coast of Rügen in the Baltic Sea while sailing toward Ystad with 64 passengers and crew. The accident claimed the lives of 20 crewmen and 35 passengers. 10 bodies were never found. Nine people were rescued. The sinking of Jan Heweliusz is the most deadly peacetime maritime disaster involving a Polish ship.

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