The disaster of the „Jan Heweliusz” ferry in January 1993 claimed 56 human lives and exposed systemic negligence in Polish shipping. The ferry sank off the coast of Rügen during a storm, though it had set sail despite technical damage and poor weather forecasts. Could the tragedy have been avoided if safety had outweighed the pressure of schedules and profits?
Decisions Leading to Catastrophe
The ferry departed from Świnoujście on the night of January 13–14 with over a two-hour delay. The stern door was damaged – three days earlier, the vessel had struck a concrete pier in Ystad. Instead of reporting the failure to maritime authorities, the crew repaired it temporarily on their own. The door remained unsealed, failing to meet basic safety requirements.
Why did the ferry set sail in such condition? Economic pressure was probably stronger than caution. Delay meant financial losses, passenger dissatisfaction, and schedule problems. Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz decided to take the shortest route to make up lost time, instead of choosing the safer winter path closer to Rügen.
There were 64 people on board – 29 crew members and 35 passengers of various nationalities. Among them were Poles, Swedes, Norwegians, Czechs, and Austrians. Weather forecasts warned of a storm, but the warnings were ignored. This was not the first time the ferry had struggled with problems – previously there had been listings, collisions with fishing boats, engine failures, and even a fire.
Battle with the Elements
After crossing the breakwater, the ferry entered a zone of extreme conditions. Wind reached hurricane force – 12 on the Beaufort scale. The vessel began listing to starboard. Third Officer Janusz Lewandowski attempted to pump water to straighten the ship, but the effect was short-lived.
Other vessels – „Dunajec” and „Kopernik” – warned „Heweliusz” of danger. The crew did not change course. The list increased, and the captain took direct command, maneuvering the stern toward the waves. Manual steering did not help. Trucks and cargo on deck shifted, deepening the load asymmetry.
Around four in the morning, the list reached 35 degrees. All attempts to straighten the vessel proved ineffective. An hour later, the ferry listed to port to 30 degrees. The captain declared abandon ship and sent a Mayday signal. The last communication was: „My last position is…” – then contact was lost.
Tragic Toll
The ferry capsized shortly after five in the morning. Rescue operations were nearly impossible. Most passengers were sleeping, and the sudden list prevented reaching the deck. Six-meter waves and hurricane winds thwarted lowering lifeboats. Only a few rafts were thrown overboard.
Nine people survived, all Polish. Fifty-six people died – 20 sailors and 36 passengers, including two children. Among the victims were people from six countries: 34 Poles, seven Swedes, seven Austrians, five Hungarians, two Czechs, and one Norwegian. No foreigner survived the disaster.
Particularly tragic were the fates of stewards and stewardesses. Their coveralls prevented submersion – they could not swim out from under the wreckage and drowned. The bodies of stewardess Teresa Sienkiewicz and fourth engineer Paweł Sobociński were never found. The wreck settled at a depth of 27 meters and still attracts divers who document how the superstructure broke off under the weight of vehicles.
Truth That Refuses to Surface
The investigation revealed shocking negligence. The ferry left Świnoujście in a condition unfit for navigation. Documentation was incomplete, possibly falsified – the shipowner likely tried to cover up the vessel’s actual technical condition. In 1994, the Maritime Chamber did not assign blame to anyone, but the ruling was overturned by an appellate body.
Only in 1996 was it acknowledged that the ferry was in poor technical condition, and the shipowner bore responsibility. The European Court of Human Rights in 2005 awarded compensation to victims’ families, pointing to the lack of objectivity and independence of Polish courts. Maritime Chambers ignored crucial evidence and did not question key witnesses.
Conspiracy theories emerged – suggestions of arms smuggling and involvement of WSI officers. None were proven, but their existence shows the depth of distrust toward official explanations.
