A man is believed to have fallen overboard from the MS Ambition cruise ship near the coast of Arbroath in Scotland with police now saying a body has been discovered13:11, 21 Aug 2026Updated 18:37, 21 Aug 2026Police say a body has been found after a man reportedly fell overboard from a cruise ship off Scotland's east coast.‌Emergency services received reports at around 8.55am today (Friday, August 21) of a man overboard around 36 nautical miles east of Arbroath from the MS Ambition cruise liner.‌The ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line had been returning from a solar eclipse trip around Iceland, the Faroes and Shetland, with passengers due to disembark in Scotland at around 11am.‌The ship docked in Dundee while a huge search and rescue operation was launched and a body as sadly now been recovered.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."‌More than 1,000 passengers and crew were initially asked to remain on board while searches were carried out, but passengers have since been allowed to disembark.An HM Coastguard helicopter and a plane were sent to the area alongside RNLI lifeboats and Coastguard Rescue Teams. A commercial search and rescue helicopter and several nearby vessels are also assisting, reported the Daily Record.‌A statement from the cruise company after the man went missing read: "Ambassador Cruise Line can confirm that the Captain of Ambition reported a missing person incident earlier this morning. The ship, which is 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 on board have been kept informed of developments by the Captain and a thorough ship-wide search was carried out on arrival in Dundee. Having initially been asked to remain on board while the search was carried out, guests have now been cleared to disembark."Ambassador follows stringent search and rescue protocols in line with international maritime safety standards. We continue to work in close collaboration with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, HM Coastguard and Police Scotland as the investigation continues.Article continues below"Ambassador remains committed to the safety and wellbeing of all our guests and crew. As a result of this development, today's turnaround operation in Dundee was slightly delayed."However, guests due to travel on board Ambition should make their way to the port as per their embarkation schedule. We are unable to provide further details at this time due to this incident forming part of an ongoing police investigation."While an RNLI spokesperson confirmed that two lifeboats were taking part in the search. They said: "All-weather lifeboats from Anstruther and Broughty Ferry RNLI launched shortly after 9.30am today (Friday 21 August) to support HM Coastguard in a search for a missing person overboard from a passenger vessel approximately 36 nautical miles east of Arbroath."