Stena Line Ferry Evacuated in Rostock After Suspected Chemical Leak

Roughly 160 passengers and most of the crew left the Stena Line ferry Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Rostock on September 16 after a liquid was found leaking from a rail tank wagon during loading. Some reported breathing difficulties.

Emergency services in protective suits boarded the ferry. Five people (four crew members and one other) were taken to hospital as a precaution with minor respiratory symptoms. The port area was cordoned off while responders worked through the evening, and the scheduled 15:00 departure for Trelleborg was cancelled.

The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a Swedish-flagged ro-pax ferry built in 1996 that runs Stena Line's Rostock-to-Trelleborg Baltic service. After around ten hours of response, authorities confirmed that no hazardous substance had been found. Testing identified the liquid as condensation from the outer wall of a rail tank wagon rather than a chemical release. The ferry returned to service after the all-clear.