Man Released Without Charge After Death on Ferry from Wales to Ireland

Stena Line Nordica - Source: Hannes van Rijn - ShipSpotting.com

Gardaí (Irish police) have released without charge a man who was arrested in connection with the death of a woman on board a Stena Line ferry sailing from Wales to Ireland. The incident occurred on Tuesday during the 14:00 GMT sailing from Fishguard to Rosslare in County Wexford.

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Authorities were alerted to what was described as "an unexplained death" shortly after 17:00 local time. Gardaí and emergency services responded to the scene and boarded the vessel upon arrival in Rosslare. The woman was later pronounced dead, and a post-mortem examination has been completed. However, Gardaí stated that the results "are not being released for operational reasons."

According to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, the ship’s captain made an emergency call approximately 30 minutes before docking. The situation led to disruptions in ferry services. On Tuesday evening, the 19:00 outbound Stena Line sailing from Rosslare to Fishguard was canceled, with passengers being accommodated on Irish Ferries' 20:45 sailing from Rosslare to Pembroke.

Wexford councilor Ger Carthy expressed the community’s reaction, stating that locals responded with "shock and sadness" at the "tragic events." He praised the emergency response efforts, saying, "What transpired here last night and the response that the Gardaí and the state agencies gave was second to none."

Stena Line confirmed that Gardaí are investigating the incident. The company stated: "We can confirm that An Garda Síochána is investigating an incident that occurred on the 14:00 ferry crossing from Fishguard to Rosslare on Tuesday, February 25."

As a result of the ongoing investigation, Stena Line canceled several ferry services, including Tuesday night’s 19:30 and 01:30 Stena Nordica sailings. The 08:30 sailing from Rosslare and the 14:00 return sailing from Fishguard on Wednesday were also canceled. Stena Line indicated that Stena Nordica’s next expected departure would be at 19:30 from Rosslare.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death.