A body has been found after a man reportedly fell overboard from a cruise ship off Scotland's east coast. The rescue operation began around 8.55am on Friday, August 21, following reports that a man had gone overboard from the Ambassador Ambition cruise ship in the North Sea, 40 nautical miles from Anstruther, Fife.
During the multi-agency search, carried out by police and partner agencies, a body was recovered. Although formal identification has yet to take place, the family of the man reported missing has been informed.
Search and recovery operation
An HM Coastguard helicopter and aeroplane were sent to the scene alongside RNLI lifeboats and Coastguard Rescue Teams. A commercial search and rescue helicopter and multiple nearby vessels also assisted in the operation.
The vessel had been on a solar eclipse trip around Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Shetland, with passengers due to disembark and head home from Scotland at around 11am. The ship was docked at a Dundee port during the search, and over 1,000 passengers and crew were held on board before being allowed to disembark.
Police and cruise line statements
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.55am on Friday August 21 2026 we received a report that a man had gone overboard from a cruise ship in the North Sea, 40 nautical miles from Anstruther, Fife. A search and rescue operation, carried out by police and partner agencies, has been ongoing and a body has been recovered. Formal identification is yet to take place however the family of the man who was reported missing has been informed.”
Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed that the Captain of Ambition reported a missing person incident earlier that morning. The ship, now berthed in Dundee, was on passage from Lerwick to Dundee when the alarm was raised after it was found that a guest was not where they were expected to be. Guests were initially asked to remain on board during a thorough ship-wide search, but have now been cleared to disembark.
Ambassador stated it follows stringent search and rescue protocols in line with international maritime safety standards and continues to work with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, HM Coastguard and Police Scotland. The company noted that today's turnaround operation in Dundee was slightly delayed but that guests due to travel should make their way to the port as per their embarkation schedule.
An HM Coastguard spokesperson earlier said the response was coordinated to a report made at about 8.35am of an incident on board a passenger vessel about 36 nautical miles east of Arbroath. An RNLI spokesperson added that all-weather lifeboats from Anstruther and Broughty Ferry launched shortly after 9.30am to support the search.
