Fatal man overboard mishap reported in Northern Ireland’s Belfast Harbour

Police in Northern Ireland are investigating the death of an individual who fell overboard from a foreign-flagged commercial vessel in Belfast Harbour on Monday, February 20.

The victim has been identified as a crewman on BG Ruby, a containership sailing under the Portuguese flag and operated by Dutch company BG Freight Line.

Emergency medical teams were despatched to Belfast Harbour’s Victoria Terminal 3 upon receiving a call for assistance shortly after the victim fell into the water at around 23:00 local time on Monday. The individual was brought to hospital that same evening but was later pronounced deceased.

A spokesman for the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said that inspectors are in Belfast to conduct a preliminary assessment and that the MAIB’s counterpart agency in Portugal has already been advised about the mishap.

A local inspector of the International Transport Workers’ Federation told news outlet Belfast Live that he had boarded BG Ruby last December during one of the ship’s calls to Belfast. However, he was prohibited from conducting a thorough inspection to assess the crew’s welfare and identify any possible health and safety issues.