A multi‑agency search and rescue operation in the Irish Sea has been stood down after extensive efforts failed to locate an individual reported to have entered the water from a passenger ferry on Thursday afternoon. The response was initiated following reports that a person had gone overboard from European Highlander, a roll‑on/roll‑off passenger ferry operating on the P&O Ferries route between Cairnryan in Scotland and Larne in Northern Ireland. The alert was raised at approximately 13:21 GMT on February 12th, 2026 as the vessel was en route across the Irish Sea.
HM Coastguard deployed rescue assets from Larne and Portmuck, including Coastguard rescue teams and all‑weather lifeboats from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) based at Larne and Donaghadee, along with an HM Coastguard helicopter. Additional vessels in the area also participated in the search during the early stages of the operation. After what authorities described as “extensive and thorough searches,” the coordinated effort was suspended on Friday morning with no trace of the missing individual located.
P&O Ferries issued confirmation that an incident had occurred on board European Highlander while the vessel was underway and stated that it was assisting the relevant authorities with their enquiries following the suspension of the search operation. European Highlander is part of a fleet of high‑speed ferry services that typically operate multiple daily crossings between Cairnryan and Larne, serving both passengers and vehicles on a crossing that usually lasts around two hours.
The suspension of the search underscores the operational priorities and protocols of maritime search and rescue authorities when initial efforts do not achieve contact with the reported person in the water and conditions do not suggest an imminent change in circumstances that would warrant continuation of active searching.