Bahamian authorities to investigate death of cruise ship passenger who fell overboard near Fife

An investigation into the death of a passenger who reportedly fell overboard from a cruise ship that docked in Dundee is being led by authorities in the Bahamas.

A man fell from the Ambassador Ambition in the North Sea, 40 nautical miles from Anstruther, before it arrived in the city on Friday.

Coastguard and RNLI crews, assisted by Police Scotland, launched a search and rescue operation in Dundee’s port from around 8.35am on Friday, recovering a body from the water later in the day.

The missing man’s family was notified, police confirmed.

Guests on board the ship, which had been on a two-week solar eclipse tour of Shetland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands were asked to remain on board while a ship-wide search was carried out.

The Bahamas maritime authority will now lead an investigation into the incident, as the Ambassador’s Ambition cruise ship is registered as part of the Caribbean island’s fleet.

Under international law, the country where the ship is registered has the primary duty to investigate unless the death is suspicious.

A statement from The Bahamas Maritime Authority read: “The Bahamas Maritime Authority is aware of an incident involving a passenger from the Bahamas-registered cruise ship Ambition.

“Our thoughts are with the passenger’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.

“The BMA is in contact with the relevant parties and authorities and will provide any assistance required. As enquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”