A man has been reported missing and is feared to have fallen overboard Carnival Spirit near Vanuatu, an Oceanian island located in the South Pacific Ocean.
According to local media reports, the luxury cruise ship has turned around to retrace its course through so as to assist the search and rescue operation underway.
The man, whose nationality has not yet been disclosed, is said to be a member of the kitchen staff and may have been missing for up to 20 hours by the time he was confirmed missing, according to a passenger statement.
The ship was midway through a 12-night cruise heading toward Fiji when the accident occurred.
The man was presumed missing roughly 300 nautical miles east of Nauru, in what is known as New Caledonian search and rescue area, according to a spokesman for the search authority, quoted by Fairfax.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, July 8th, 2014