The Sun Princess returned to Sydney in weather reflecting its somber mood after calling off the search for an 84-year old passenger who went overboard.

Passengers received regular updates after the man fell 25 metres into rough seas. Police in NSW will continue an investigation and study CCTV footage of the incident.

The man was reported missing on Monday night during a cruise from New Zealand.

An air search was launched to look for the man but was called off yesterday.

Princess Cruises released a statement saying: “Princess Cruises confirms that an 84-year-old male passenger was reported missing early today on-board Sun Princess, which was on the way to Sydney completing a 13-day New Zealand cruise.”

The Sun Princess, with 1900 passengers on board, has doubled back on its original course in a bid to help find the man.