Search for missing man who disappeared from NorthLink ferry brought to a halt

There has been no resumption of the search for a missing man who went overboard while travelling on the Serco NorthLink ferry Hrossey in the early hours of Friday morning.

An intense and widespread search involving Lerwick and Kirkwall lifeboat crews as well as the Sumburgh-based rescue helicopter was carried out yesterday, but was brought to a halt shortly after 6pm last night as darkness fell.

A Banff-registered fishing boat, a fishery protection vessel, a Norwegian tug and an oil-support vessel assisted in the rescue effort, and an oil-industry Jigsaw helicopter also attended the scene, but there was no sign of the man who was said by police to be in his forties.

The Hrossey had been heading from Kirkwall to Lerwick when the captain was notified of the incident at around 4am.

The ferry was immediately turned around and headed back to begin looking for the man.

She left Aberdeen at 5pm on Thursday, bound for Orkney and Shetland. She departed Kirkwall at 12.25am and was originally due in Lerwick at 7.30am yesterday, although the search meant she did not arrive in Shetland until lunchtime.

When the ferry left Orkney there were 172 passengers aboard including 21 children.