The incident was reported to the coastguard around 09:00 BST on Sunday. The HM Coastguard deployed a search and rescue helicopter from Lydd and a fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the search.
Additionally, the RNLI dispatched all-weather lifeboats from Ramsgate and Dover to join the search efforts. The AIDAperla cruise ship was en route from Hamburg, Germany, to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands when the incident occurred.
The cruise company stated that the ship's captain and crew initiated rescue measures, and the vessel returned to the location where the crew member was believed to have gone overboard.