The controversial American millionaire diver Gregg Bemis Jr., who is planning to dive to the wreck of the passenger ship, the Estonia later this month, is to be accompanied by German film producer Jutta Rabe.

   

"I have helped Bemis with the practical arrangements. Some of the financing is coming from him, some from me", Rabe said on Tuesday.

   

Jutta Rabe owns a production company in Potsdam called Top Story. The company has a Finn among its partners, but Rabe says that he is not involved in the Estonia project.

   

Rabe herself will be taking part in the expedition, but will not say which country's coast they will embark from.

   

Rabe says that the entire trip will be documented. The main goal is to photograph the hull of the sunken ship from the outside. She feels that the official divers' pictures taken of the wreck are of "poor quality, incomplete, and most probably have been manipulated." As Bemis had said earlier, Rabe says that she hopes to find out "the truth behind the Estonia accident".

   

Both Bemis and Rabe question the findings of the Estonian, Finnish, and Swedish joint commission, according to which the sinking of the Estonia off the south coast of Finland in 1994, in which 852 people were killed, was caused by the opening of the bow door visor.

   

When asked if the footage would be used for commercial purposes, Rabe answered "yes and no".

   

"We will find one television channel in each country which will then be responsible for national distribution."

   

Rabe said that there has been "more than enough" interest among television companies. There have reportedly been talks with Finnish companies as well, but Rabe would not go into details.

This is not the first time that Jutta Rabe

has been involved with the Estonia case. She has worked as a television journalist, and says that she has done 14 different stories and documentaries on the Estonia. She says that many of her reports went out on Spiegel TV, which produces television documentaries, and is owned by the same company that owns the newsweekly Der Spiegel.

   

The German producer sees nothing immoral about the dives to the Estonia. "I do not think that any of the victims would have anything against our helping find out the causes of the accident."

   

Rabe sees the negative attitude taken by the governments of the region as two-faced.

   

"Nordic politicians have been the most vocal in demanding the digging up of the mass graves of Bosnia and Kosovo. Now that a mass grave is at their front door, they don't care."

Gregg Bemis Jr. confirmed on Tuesday

that the dives would begin on August 23. In addition to Rabe and the divers, a few of the relatives of the victims of the Estonia will be along. Bemis does not believe that these will include any Finns.

   

Bemis says that the group will embark from a country that has not signed the treaty under which the wreck of the Estonia, which is seen as the grave of the victims, must not be disturbed. Germany is one such country. However, Bemis refuses to say where he will meet Rabe.

   

"Rabe is holding talks on the sale of the rights to the documentary with all who will negotiate with her", said Bemis from his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "However, I'm afraid that the documentary will not cover all of our expenses".

   

Bemis calculates that the diving expedition will last nearly a week, and will cost a total of 200,000 dollars. Bemis has said, however, that the goal of the expedition is not money, or fame, but rather to determine if the bow door visor really was the cause of the sinking of the Estonia.

   

Bemis is also not afraid that he might be stopped or arrested for violating the sanctity of the grave of the victims. "I'm 72 years old. What difference would it make?"