Passenger dies after falling overboard from Stena Line ferry
- Published
Emergency crews were called to the Stena Superfast VIII
A man has died after falling overboard from a Stena Line ferry near the port of Cairnryan in southern Scotland.
The incident is understood to have happened on the 15:30 sailing from Belfast to Cairnryan on Saturday.
Rescue crews were called to the Stena Superfast VIII at Loch Ryan in Dumfries and Galloway at about 17:50.
The passenger was airlifted to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police Scotland said the death was not believed to be suspicious.
Stena Line said the ferry's own rescue boat had been launched to recover the passenger from the water.
An HM Coastguard helicopter then airlifted the man from the vessel to University Hospital in Ayr.
Police Scotland said a report into the incident would be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
A force spokesperson said: "Inquiries to establish the full circumstances of the incident remain ongoing.
"However, there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances."
A coastguard helicopter airlifted the man to hospital
The Stena Superfast VIII, which has a capacity of 1200 passengers, was built in 2001 and chartered by Stena Line for the Belfast-Cairnryan route in 2011.
The Swedish firm is one of the largest ferry operators in the world, serving Denmark, France, Germany, the UK and other locations.
A Stena Line spokesperson said: "Emergency response procedures were initiated, including the launch of Stena Line's onboard fast response craft.
"All relevant authorities, including the Coastguard and Police Scotland were informed and a search and rescue operation was launched.
"Superfast VIII resumed its sailing schedule at approx 20:30. A full investigation into the incident is currently under way."