Vessel Tracker reports that on December 25, 2014, a German passenger aboard the Scandlines Prins Richard ferry went overboard while the ferry was underway from Puttgarden, Germany to Rødby, Denmark.
German and Danish Search and rescue vessels and helicopters were deployed. The water temperature was reportedly 42 to 46 degrees ºF. There is no indication that the passenger was located.
Scandlines is a major German-Danish ferry operator.
The Prins Richard was designed for Scandlines to be used for the short-distance voyages like the Rødby – Puttgarden route. The Prins Richard was built in Denmark and delivered to Scandlines in 1997.
Update: A reader of Cruise Law News informed me that a Danish news station has covered the story. The station says that ". . . a person (had) apparently fallen into the water from a Scandlines ferry service between Puttgarden and Rodby – but it is still uncertain whether it happened deliberately, accidentally or with other persons involved." Sounds like the ferry did not have any CCTV cameras and no automatic man overboard system installed.
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Photo Credit: Knud E. Hansen