Marine scientist: Baltic shipwrecks tend to be better preserved
Estonia's coastline and waters are dotted with shipwrecks from many different eras, and often in good condition given their age. There are several reasons for this.
Speaking to ERR short "Minu Meri" ("My Sea"), Maritime archaeologist Ivar Trefner said, compared with elsewhere in the world, "In the Baltic Sea, wrecks are preserved extremely well."
This is because "it's practically a unique place in the world, as, first, the salinity is so low that shipworms, those little creatures that eat timbers, are not found here, so wooden wrecks can be preserved for hundreds and hundreds of years," he noted.
As for shipwrecks of boats made of steel and other metals, they rust more slowly at least in the deeper waters, due to an absence of oxygen.
"Of course, everything deteriorates, that is true, but everything takes longer [here] than in other parts of the world," Trefner went on.
The Baltic sea's long history as a thoroughfare for humans, plus its strategic location, numerous islands, infamous storms etc., mean that there is no shortage of shipwrecks on the seabed, including in Estonian waters.
Trefner said: "The seabed of Estonia is very rich, the history of seafaring here is long, and thousands, if not tens of thousands, of ships have come to grief."
Around 700 discovered wrecks are listed in the register, "thought more are being found every year," he added.
Trefner recalled last year, a closer examination was conducted on a 17th-century sailing vessel located on the seabed near Naissaar, a large island in Tallinn Bay's approaches.
"This is very well-preserved and has an interesting construction," he said, noting that it is difficult to say exactly why the ship sank.
Are some of the wrecks, particularly more recent vessels which ran on fossil fuels and are made of metal, a hazard?
"From an environmental perspective, older wrecks that did not run on fuel are safer, but most wrecks get covered with ghost nets, that is, old fishing nets and trawls that have gotten stuck on them, and even continue to catch fish," Trefner explained.
As for newer wrecks, there are actually quite a few sunken ships from both the world wars which still contain fuel. "If the fuel is still in the bunkers, it is not yet dangerous, but if it leaks out, it can lead to a lot of pollution," he added.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Kaspar Viilup
Source: 'Minu Meri'
