SINGAPORE, Aug 1 — A search operation is now underway, after a passenger travelling on cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas fell overboard in the Singapore Strait while it was headed here.

In a statement yesterday night, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore was alerted at about 7.50am earlier in the day.

MPA, which operates the centre, added: "MRCC Singapore is coordinating the search and immediately issued navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait and vessels in port to keep a lookout for the missing person and report any sightings to MRCC Singapore.”

The Cyprus-flagged cruise is supporting ongoing investigations. The ship had docked in Singapore before leaving at 4.30pm on Monday, MPA said.

The CruiseMapper website that tracks positions of cruise ships showed that Spectrum of the Seas embarked on a 12-day one-way journey from Singapore to Yokohama, Japan. Its next port of call is Nha Trang in Vietnam on August 2.

In response to queries from TODAY, Royal Caribbean International said that its crew immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation when it found out about the incident.

"Our shipboard team worked closely with the local authorities and our care team is now offering assistance and support to the family,” it added, declining to give more details out of "privacy and respect”.

"The ship has since been cleared by the authorities and has sailed as scheduled on Monday evening.”

Spectrum of the Seas was en route to finish a four-day round-trip when MRCC was alerted of the incident, CruiseMapper showed.

Operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises, it last docked in Georgetown, Malaysia on July 29 before making its way back to Singapore.

The ship can take up to 4,819 passengers. It is not clear how many passengers were on board at the time of the incident. — TODAY