A body has been recovered in the search for a man fallen overboard from a cruise ship in the North Sea off the east coast of Scotland

The man was reported missing at 08:35 on Ambassador Cruise Lines vessel MS Ambition, about 36 nautical miles from Arbroath.

Lifeboats, coastguard crews and aerial support were launched as part of a search operation before the ship docked in Dundee.

Police Scotland said formal identification was still to take place, but the missing man’s family had been informed.

The ship was on its return journey to Dundee from a solar eclipse cruise, with stops in Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

It docked in Lerwick before returning to the city on Friday.

BBC Scotland News understands that the passenger’s luggage was still onboard and his bed had not been slept in.

Those onboard were initially delayed from being allowed to leave the ship, but were eventually permitted to disembark at about 11:30.

Coastguard aircraft from as Prestwick and Carlisle were scrambled to assist in the search alongside a commercial search and rescue helicopter.

Lifeboat crews from Anstruther and Broughty Ferry and Coastguard teams from Dundee, Arbroath and St Andrews also joined the operation.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.55am on Friday, 21 August, 2026, we received a report that a man had gone overboard from a cruise ship in the North Sea.

“A search and rescue operation, carried out by police and partner agencies, has been ongoing and a body has been recovered.”

The MS Ambition was previously chartered by the Scottish government to provide temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees