A woman died on Sunday evening after falling overboard a Stena Line ferry headed for Rosslare Harbour.
A huge emergency services response was alerted to the incident shortly after 5pm on the Cherbourg to Rosslare Stena Horizon route.
Weymouth RNLI and the ferry's rescue boat recovered the body within minutes but the woman was pronounced dead.
The incident is being treated as a tragic accident and it is believed the woman hit the side of the vessel before hitting the water.
The body was taken to Rosslare and a garda investigation is now underway into the incident.
The woman in an Irish resident and had been travelling home with her family.
Weymouth RNLI said in a statement: "Following a request from Solent Coastguard. Weymouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 5.18 pm on Sunday 7th June 2020 to join in the search for a woman who had fallen overboard from the Roll on Roll Off ferry Stena Horizon in the shipping lanes mid channel.
"Just before the lifeboat arrived on scene 26 miles SSW of Portland Bill, news came in that the body of the woman had been found.
"A rescue boat from the Stena Horizon which had been launched to search for her, found her body and had taken her onto the vessel, which then continued on its journey.
"The lifeboat was released and returned to Weymouth at 7.38pm where it was refuelled and made ready for the next shout."
