Five Irish Ferries passengers who believed they would die during storm settle claims

Court heard every time the ship was hit and rolled by huge waves during Storm Imogen in February 2016, the traumatised passengers believed the next one would be fatal

Passengers have settled claims totalling €300,000 against the ferry line for undisclosed sums. File picture: Niall Carson / PA.

Five passengers of the Irish Ferries vessel MV Epsilon, who believed they were going to die at sea during Storm Imogen, one of the worst in decades, have settled claims totalling €300,000 against the ferry line for undisclosed sums.

Barrister Eamon Marray told the Circuit Civil Court on Wednesday that every time the ship was hit and rolled by huge waves, the traumatised passengers believed the next one would be fatal.

He said Noel Rowland, of Bridgemount, Belcarra, Castlebar, Co Mayo, his wife, and three children, Florence, Beau and Jude, now all resident in Brussels; Chris Sawyer, also Brussels, and two other passengers also living in Brussels but with Irish connections, had settled their claims against Irish Ferries.

Mr Marray, who appeared with Evan O’Dwyer of O’Dwyer Solicitors, Ballyhaunis, for nine passengers, told Judge Michael Walsh the court would have to approve settlement offers of €14,500 each for the three Rowland children.

He said a case involving former NBC war programme producer Susan Burt was being adjourned to be heard at full trial due to settlement talks having broken down in her case. She also lives in Brussels and all of the passengers were travelling from Cherbourg to visit relatives and friends in Ireland.

The court heard that on three different days, February 7, 8, and 9, 2016, — the length of time it took the Epsilon reaching its destination, all of the passengers were on board when, after exiting the safety of Cherbourg Port, it had been tossed around in the vicious Storm Imogen, which meant for one period of 11 hours they had been unable to dock, expecting the next second might be their last.

Psychological trauma

Mr Marray said while none of the passengers had been seriously physically injured, their injuries were confined to psychological trauma. He said the storm had been so bad that most of the Epsilon’s cargo and the vessel itself had been damaged.

Families huddled together for safety as the vessel was rocked from side to side, one passenger claiming it had been tossed on its side at one stage.

Mr Marray said the incredibly traumatic experience of crew and passengers had been so bad that the incident had been investigated by the Irish Marine Casualty Investigation Board which had characterised the event as a serious marine incident at the highest level. 

He was confident had liability not been accepted in these cases at the last minute by Irish Ferries, negligence would have been proven.

Judge Walsh said it had been a traumatic incident for everyone concerned and he had no difficulty in approving the offers of settlement made to the Rowland children who, thankfully, had made a full recovery.

On the application of Mr Marray, he struck out all of the cases that had been settled for undisclosed sums and adjourned the case of retired journalist Susan Burt, who lives in Chippenham, England, and who had been on her way with her partner, Christopher Sawyer, to visit her family in Ireland.