Over 300 passengers are stranded on ferry in the Irish Sea overnight after six crew members test positive for Covid
- Six crew members have tested positive for coronavirus on the Stena Line ferry
- The boat was due to travel to Belfast but has been held in Liverpool overnight
- Passengers are now being disembarked at the port in Birkenhead, Merseyside
More than 300 passengers have been stuck aboard a Belfast bound ferry overnight after six crew members tested positive for coronavirus.
A further 15 other people who came into close contact with the infected crew have also been told to self-isolate.
All those who are confirmed to have the virus are said to be ‘doing well’, the ferry company confirmed.
Passengers on the Stena Line ferry were due to leave Liverpool at 10.30pm last night aboard the overnight Stena Edda vessel.
But while many woke up expecting to have arrived in Northern Ireland this morning they found they had not moved from the port in Birkenhead, Merseyside.
More than 300 passengers have been stuck in Liverpool aboard a Belfast bound ferry overnight after six crw members tested positive for coronavirus
The boat carrying 322 passengers and 53 crew members was held in Birkenhead by the Port Health Authorities due to the outbreak
The boat carrying 322 passengers and 53 crew members was held in the Merseyside by the Port Health Authorities due to the outbreak.
A spokesman for Stena Line confirmed none of those affected were passengers.
They told Mail Online: ‘Stena Line can confirm that 6 members of the crew of the Stena Edda have tested positive for COVID-19 last night.
‘In line with our safety protocols we alerted the Port Health Authorities, who advised us to hold the vessel in Birkenhead as a precaution.
‘322 passengers and 53 crew are onboard. The six crew members who tested positive for COVID-19 are being cared for and are doing well, with only mild symptoms. 15 close contacts have been identified and are self-isolating.
‘Stena Line is liaising closely with public health authorities on this matter who have advised us that we should disembark the vessel in Birkenhead.
‘The welfare of our passengers and crew is paramount at this time.’
People took to social media to vent their frustrations at the ferry line after waking up in Liverpool
It came after six crew members tested positive for coronavirus aboard the ferry
One person aboard the boat said they had recieved little information and there was no crew around
This man woke up in Liverpool to find the ferry had not moved any closer to its destination
The passengers are understood to have begun disembarking around 9am this morning.
Passengers reacted to the news in anger and took to social media to vent their frustrations.
One wrote: On the boat from Liverpool to Belfast that was menat to take off at 10.30pm and they’ve just said after five hours on this boat we have to wait until 9am to disembark.
‘Sitting on a boat for 12 hours and no closer to home and without any ways of getting there.’
Stena Line have confirmed they will help passengers with further travel arrangements after their crew tested positive.
They said: ‘The passengers are being catered for and we will assist them with alternative travel arrangements.’