A crew member on a 120-day voyage around the world is missing at sea. Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience ship, which can carry 1,400 guests at a time, was making its final journey from Lisbon, Portugal back to the UK when the crew member was reported missing. The ship had been due to return to the UK on Sunday morning but turned back to join the search for the missing crew member.
The crew member, who was from India, was reported missing shortly after breakfast this morning while the ship was off Cape Finisterre, on the west coast of Spain. Thorough ship-wide searches were conducted for the person, who has not been named, and the local coastguard was informed. The ship retraced its route to the location where the crew member was last seen but has since been released by coastguard authorities from the search and is continuing on its original course back to the UK.
Ambassador Cruise Line, headquartered in Purfleet, Essex, has confirmed that the arrival of the Ambience ship will be delayed until the evening on Sunday. All events to mark its return have been canceled. The cruise line is providing full support to all crew members closely affected by the incident. Guests onboard have been kept informed throughout the day, and the cruise line is committed to the safety and well-being of all crew and guests on board.
The Ambience ship departed from Tilbury, Essex on 6 January and has made stops in New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and Brazil during its Grand Round The World Cruise voyage. The ship’s 789 cabins have accommodated guests from various parts of the globe on this journey. The cruise line expressed deep sadness over the incident and extended thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of the missing crew member during this difficult time.