COASTGUARD NEWS - SOUTHERN                  

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Southern 118/01
14 July 2001

FALLEN PASSENGER SEARCH CALLED OFF

Solent Coastguard were alerted by the ferry ‘Bretagne’ on 13 July 2001 reporting that someone had been seen falling from the ship at about 11pm.

Coastguards immediately scrambled a rescue helicopter and a lifeboat and put out an emergency broadcast, which resulted in four other ferries and the cruise liner ‘Arcadia’ joining the search.


Person seen falling from ship at 11p.m.
The ferry, run by Brittany Ferries, was on an overnight crossing from Portsmouth to the French port of St Malo when the passenger fell in an area four nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight.

A Solent Coastguard spokesman says an overnight widescale search by Coastguard vessels, ferries and other craft has ended without finding anything.

Coastguards say the search was called off just after 6am.

No details of the missing passenger have been released.

BRETAGNE - BRITTANY FERRIES

Gross tonnage

24534

Crew

130

Passenger capacity

2056

Cars

580

Berths

1146

Club Class reclining seats

454

Link - Brittany Ferries