A man has lost his life after going overboard on a Stena Line Belfast ferry en route to Cairnryan this weekend, Belfast Live reports.
On the evening of Saturday, July 1, an alarm was raised as the Superfast VIII ferry was approaching its destination in Cairnryan.
In a statement to the Mirror on Saturday night, Stena Line confirmed that a “man overboard” incident occurred on its Superfast VIII ferry near Loch Ryan Port.
READ MORE: Body found on Irish beach confirmed as passenger who fell from Stena Line ferry
A subsequent statement on Sunday morning from Police Scotland confirmed that the man had been airlifted to University Hospital Ayr, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
In a statement to the Daily Record, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a man having gone overboard from a ferry at Belfast Way, Cairnryan around 5:50pm on Saturday, 1 July 2023.
“Emergency services attended and the man was taken to University Hospital Ayr, where he was pronounced dead.
“Enquiries to establish the full circumstances of the incident remain ongoing, however, there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."
On Saturday, a spokesman for Stena Line said: "Stena Line can confirm a ‘man overboard’ incident occurred this afternoon at approx. 5.30pm on the Stena Superfast VIII vessel as the vessel approached its destination of Loch Ryan Port, Cairnryan.
"Emergency response procedures were initiated, all relevant authorities, including the Coastguard and Police Scotland, were informed and a search and rescue operation was launched."
A spokesman for the Coastguard added: "HM Coastguard was requested to assist the Stena Superfast VIII ferry this evening after a person fell overboard in Loch Ryan.
"The person was recovered from the water by the ferry’s fast rescue craft and taken to Ayr Hospital by the Coastguard helicopter. We have no further information at this time."
