According to an official statement from Unity Line Limited Sp. z o.o., Poland, provided to the Polish Radio English Section, a witness reported that one of the passengers had fallen into the water.
“In an incident yesterday, 28 December, in the Baltic Sea near Sassnitz, the Skania ferry, operated by Unity Line, issued a ‘man overboard’ alert after a witness reported that one of the passengers had fallen into the water. The passenger was Polish,” the announcement said.
The rescue operation was coordinated by the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (SAR), and another Unity Line ferry, the Polonia, which was nearby, also joined the operation.
Swedish and Danish units were involved as well, and aerial searches were conducted. Sea conditions were reported to be difficult at the time.
At 6.21pm, the German SAR authorities released the Skania and Polonia ferries, which returned to their respective ports in Ystad and Świnoujście.
Unity Line said it remains in contact with the relevant authorities, and no further details have been released at this stage.
“This was an operation led by the German authorities, and all information on the matter comes from the German side,” clarified an operations inspector from Poland’s Maritime Search and Rescue Service, speaking to the Polish Radio English Section.
Unity Line & Polferries Fan Club posted on social media that the Skania and Polonia ferries have safely arrived at their respective ports in Poland and Sweden.
Photo: Bartosz Baginski/Unity Line & Polferries fan club
When a passenger fell overboard from the Skania in the middle of the Baltic Sea, both ferries were the first to reach the search area and, with the support of SAR rescue units, helicopters, and HSC Offshore vessels, took part in the search for the missing passenger, which lasted several hours under difficult sea conditions, the Unity Line & Polferries Fan Club added.
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Source: Polish Radio English Section