Body recovered after overboard report from Ambition in North Sea
Police Scotland said formal identification remained pending and the missing man’s family had been informed.
Police Scotland said it received a report on Friday morning, August 21, 2026, that a man had gone overboard from a cruise ship in the North Sea, 40 nautical miles from Anstruther, Fife.
The force said police and partner agencies carried out a search-and-rescue operation and recovered a body. Formal identification had not taken place, while the family of the man reported missing had been notified.
Ambassador Cruise Line said Ambition was traveling from Lerwick to Dundee when an alarm was raised after a guest was found not to be where expected. Once the ship arrived in Dundee, guests were initially asked to remain aboard while a ship-wide search was conducted. They were later cleared to disembark.
The cruise line said the incident slightly delayed the turnaround operation in Dundee. It continued working with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, HM Coastguard and Police Scotland as the investigation proceeded.
An RNLI spokesperson said all-weather lifeboats from Anstruther and Broughty Ferry launched on Friday morning to support HM Coastguard in a search approximately 36 nautical miles east of Arbroath.