Man denied bail after trying to throw his partner overboard

David James Fysh, 46, has been denied bail after he allegedly tried to throw his partner overboard the Radiance of the Seas ship. Photo / News Corp Australia

A 46-year-old Queensland man has been denied bail after he allegedly tried to throw his partner off the side of a cruise ship and into the Tasman Sea last week.

The couple's relaxing, five-night cruise to Tasmania nearly ended in tragedy but David James Fysh has insisted he did not try to kill his partner, pleading not guilty to her attempted murder in court on Friday.

Mr Fysh will now spend the next four months in a Tasmanian jail before his Supreme Court appearance, reports news.com.au.

Mr Fysh and his partner had travelled to Sydney from their home in Wamuran, 60km north west of Brisbane, where they boarded the Radiance of the Seas cruise ship on Tuesday.

Operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises, the commercial liner, bound for Tasmania, departed Sydney and planned to visit two ports before returning.

But the couple's voyage was cut short after just two days when a vicious argument broke out between them about 3.30am on Thursday.

Police allege Mr Fysh approached his partner from behind on a balcony and grabbed her under the arms in an attempt to throw her overboard as the ship was moving.

Passengers told The Mercury newspaper they had heard an emergency alarm and screaming in the early hours of Thursday.

"We heard a rumour someone had been taken down to the cells and kicked off, but passengers weren't alerted to anything," passenger Ayden Harrison told the paper.

A Royal Caribbean Cruises spokeswoman confirmed that ship security were able to restrain Mr Fysh and make sure the woman was safe before notifying authorities.

Tasmanian police were called to the ship, which docked at Hobart at 8am, and arrested Mr Fysh.

"Following an investigation, the man was charged with attempted murder of his partner," a Tasmanian Police statement said.

Mr Fysh appeared before the Hobart Magistrates Court on Friday where he pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder and applied for bail.

He was denied bail and will remain in custody until his first appearance in the Supreme Court in February next year.

The Royal Caribbean spokeswoman told News.com.au that the company has been co-operating fully with authorities.

"At Royal Caribbean, the safety and security of our guests and crew is our highest priority," she said.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy to any form of violence or crime on-board our ships."