( www.MaritimeCyprus.com ) The sinking of the ferry vessel MS Estonia in the Baltic Sea is an accident that will haunt the maritime domain for long years and even beyond. Caused by myriad reasons, this Baltic Sea accident was an event so unprecedented that the extent of the damages caused, both to life and to property, is still shocking even after so many years since the disaster occurred. The unfortunate casualty resulted from failure of the bow visor door and subsequent flooding of the open vehicle deck with its large free surface. Subsequently, the IMO adopted special training requirements in crowd and crisis management for crews on passenger vessels. EPIRBS were required to activate automatically and voyage data recorders were mandated. Improved damage stability of passenger ships was also mandated. As contrary to otherwise held beliefs, the MS Estonia was a ship with almost 15 years of successful ferrying service for four different owners and operators. Originally built at the start of the 80s, the vessel came under the ownership of her last operators, the Estonia Shipping Company, in the early 1990s. Even though her impeccable service record was marred fatally and quite abruptly in the end, each of the vessel’s operational routes were extremely popular and in demand. Even her last operational route specially launched between the provinces of Tallinn (Estonia) to Stockholm (Sweden). MS Estonia Disaster: Details The MS Estonia sinking occurred in the year 1994 in the month of September as the vessel was passing through the Baltic Sea from the Estonian province of Tallinn to her intended destination of Stockholm. At the time of the MS Estonia disaster nearly 1,000 people were aboard it, both voyagers and crewing personnel included and only a minuscule proportion of people were managed to be successfully saved from the wreckage of the unfortunate vessel. The timing of the voyage was such that turbulent climatic conditions plagued the transiting through the Baltic