27.1
Further Evidence

In the meantime the available ROV/diver videos B 40 b, c, e have been analysed with regard to the voice communication between those concerned with directing and controlling the ROV supposed to enter the car deck, the divers inspecting the bow ramp and their supervisor. The identities of the persons involved is unknown and they are thus referred to as:

C = controller
C 2 = controller 2
V1 = Scandinavian voice DC = diver controller
V2 = ROV controller D = diver
V3 = unknown voice

C: The ROV has started descending.

V1: I see the fact but still we were inside here and we together we took measurements of 73.5 metres and 65.5 we did it ourselves.

V: I'll come back up again, we are obviously going round in circles. I don't know exactly where exactly where we are, it doesn't make much sense for us to keep going down all the time.

V1: There is diver...That's down below that's the one took this afternoon on the video so now we follow, we follow that one inside.

C: The ROV is now heading in again.

V1: This is heading in again.

C: We are now inside.

V1 We go in. The diver is so belaying this, that is good....seven zero meter, can we then go back to the divers and check our depth.

V2: Here's the diver.

V1: That's the diver he is working at 70 meters.

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C: Just continuing to move inside the car deck.

V1: Should come lower.

C: Just continuing inside the car deck just finding some debris.

V1: That's mud.

C: A lot of mud built up.

V1: That's not sediment.

C: It's identified not as sediment but definitely mud, large build up of mud.

C: There appears to be outside the vessel now having become disorientated while entering the car decks.

V2: We are under the bow section.

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C: Now we just re-entered the car deck area.

C: Now going to clear the ROV tether and attempt re-entry into the car deck area from a known reference point.

C: The ROV is now going to attempt to re-enter the car deck, this time with the assistance of the divers.

V2: We're at the diver now.

DC: If you just go straight down.

V2: Roger.

V1: Yah Yah Yah Yah straight down.

V2: We've been here before.

V1: Yah but not.

DC: All stop there.

V2: The first time I went in there.

DC: Go straight down from where you are you have to go down the stairs you can't come in from the top apparently.

V2: Roger we got lost here about three times so far.

C: We are seeing some debris now....which suggests that we are inside.

V1: Yah that's a pallet, that palletised cargo, that's on a pallet, that's cargo that is cement yah.

V2: All fallen forward yes.

V1: Yah Yah that is cement come close here.

V2: Wandering around at the bottom

V1: That's a pallet.

V1: That's cement again lets go in that direction.

V1: Yah these are decks, let's continue the heading is nice.

C: Seeing some more debris of various descriptions.

V2: Look like trousers.

C: Appears to be a lot of cement and pallets.

V2: Were inside the car deck somewhere.

V1: ......it was loaded yah yah.

It follows a conversation between the diver controller (DC) and the diver (D) who tries to help the ROV into the car deck from the starboard outside because the bow ramp was obviously not far enough open for the ROV.

DC: I'm just going to put your headlights off cause when you look at him he looses his camera picture. Just put him in the hole.

D: Tell him to just drop down now.

DC: Is that him inside?

D: No not quite. He's got to go straight down.

DC: Straight down.

D: Tell him to turn to his left and he'll see some guard rails, just follow the guard rails down and then in ...hold on a minute all stop.

DC: All stop.

D: Right that him on the ramp so if he goes to his left now.

D: He'll have to go in down the bottom now, he'll not fit in at the top.

DC: Say again don't shout I can't hear you.

D: He'll have to go in down stairs because he can't go in at the top.

DC: He'll have to go down the stairs, he can't get in at the top.

D: Go straight down from where he is.

DC: Does it look like he is going the right way.

D: Yea

D: It looks like he hasn't gone in actually.

The above implies that the diver knew a way from the starboard outside into the car deck which could only have been the big hole in the forepart of the car deck extending down into the tank spaces and probably bow thruster space of the 1st deck. See also Chapter 36.3.