A body has been recovered from the North Sea following an extensive search for a passenger who went overboard from the cruise ship MS Ambition off the east coast of Scotland, Police Scotland have confirmed.

While formal identification has not yet taken place, police said the missing man's family has been notified.

We previously reported that the vessel involved had not been identified. It has since been confirmed as Ambassador Cruise Lines' MS Ambition. The man was reported missing at about 08:35 on Friday, roughly 36 nautical miles off the coast of Arbroath, with police alerted at around 08:55.

A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched across the area. The effort drew in lifeboat crews from Broughty Ferry and Anstruther, Coastguard ground teams from Dundee, Arbroath, and St Andrews, alongside Coastguard aircraft from Prestwick and Carlisle and a commercial search and rescue helicopter.

The ship was on the final leg of a solar eclipse cruise that had called at Iceland and the Faroe Islands before docking in Dundee. Passengers on board were temporarily held before being allowed to disembark at around 11:30, and the vessel subsequently departed for Newcastle on Friday evening.

According to BBC Scotland News, the passenger's luggage remained on board the vessel and his bed had not been slept in.

The full circumstances of how the man came to enter the water have not yet been established. I'll continue to follow this and provide further updates as official details are released.