The mood was somber and the memories painful as a new ferry set sail Friday on the route of the Estonia, which capsized and sank Sept. 28 in frigid Baltic waters, killing more than 900 people.
Among the crew aboard the Mare Balticum were survivors of the horror-filled night when the Estonia sank on a voyage from Tallinn to Stockholm, Sweden."I'll be thinking of my friends entombed in the Estonia when we pass over," said Capt. Erich Moikhe. "I lost all my friends on that ship. All of them."
The gray-haired captain said he would stop his vessel over the spot where the Estonia lies about 230 feet below the surface and sound the foghorn.
The Mare Balticum carried only 438 people on its maiden voyage, 320 passengers and 118 crew. Like the Estonia, it can carry up to 2,000 passengers.
Several passengers brought flowers to toss into the sea where the Estonia sank off the coast of Finland.
The mood aboard the Mare Balticum was subdued, a far cry from the gaiety of the Estonia's popular pleasure cruises.
`It's difficult," said the ship's doctor, Aivar Kaur, whose wife went down with the Estonia. "But everyone knows their job and will do it."
The 11,800-ton Mare Balticum is owned by Estline, the company that owned and operated the Estonia. The company was anxious to resume traffic on the profitable line, one of the busiest on the Baltic.
As the Mare Balticum prepared to sail, people laid flowers at the foot of a large white cross erected on a hillside as a memorial to the Estonia's victims.
"This country is still reeling from the tragedy, like after a war," said Milvi Magi, who lost several relatives. "It will take a long time to get over it."
Built in 1979 at the same German shipyard as the 15,000-ton Estonia, the Mare Balticum contains upgraded safety equipment. Its bow door is welded shut and fitted with an alarm to warn passengers if it shifts.
Investigators say the Estonia sank after the bow door, used to load and unload vehicles and cargo, came off during a storm.