Rescuers were not alerted to the disappearance of a cruise ship entertainer until he failed to report for work, nearly 10 hours after he is believed to have gone missing.
The last CCTV footage available of Arron Hough, 20, showed him heading on to the Royal Caribbean ship’s deck at around 4am, according to a statement issued by the company.
However, staff on board the ship only realised he was missing when he did not report to work later that day, the statement added.
The United States Coast Guard was alerted to Mr Hough’s disappearance at 1.45pm, a spokesman said.
The vessel, named Harmony Of The Seas, was 267 miles (430km) north-west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, at the time and was travelling to Philipsburg, St Maarten.
A spokesman for Royal Caribbean said: ‘We are saddened to report that, after a review of the ship’s closed-circuit camera footage, he was observed entering an area on Deck 5 at around 4am and was not seen again. Local authorities were notified and a ship-wide search for the crew member was conducted.
‘Our care team is providing support to the family and friends of our colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.’
Entertainer Arron Hough (right) went missing from the cruise ship Harmony Of The Seas in the Caribbean on Christmas Day
It is believed Mr Hough was performing in a production of Grease (pictured) as part of the entertainments team for the vessel. His Facebook profile lists his profession as Dancer/Vocalist at Royal Caribbean Productions
In July, talent agency Russell Smith Associates tweeted that Mr Hough (pictured right) would be joining the cast of Grease The Musical on Harmony of the Seas. He went missing on Christmas Day and has not been seen since
Royal Caribbean and the United States Coast Guard were unable to confirm how far the ship travelled during the time between his last sighting and when the alarm was raised.
The United States Coast Guard said it had deployed a Clearwater HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew and the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute in the search.
Mr Hough is from Sunderland and attended the London-based drama school Urdang Academy, according to his Facebook page.
The academy is ‘praying’ for Mr Hough and his family, according to a message posted on Twitter.
It added: ‘Please keep up your hope and faith that he is found safe and sound as soon as possible.’
In July, talent agency Russell Smith Associates tweeted that Mr Hough would be joining the cast of Grease The Musical on Harmony Of The Seas.
The London-based agency said: ‘Our thoughts are with all of his friends and family and we hope for him to be found very soon.’
Harmony of the Seas (pictured on its voyage) is currently sailing on a 7-night itinerary that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday
Mr Hough’s tweeted just days before he went missing, saying: ‘Beneath the water is beauty. Always look beneath the surface before you decide on things’
Just days before he plunged from the ship, Mr Hough had tweeted: ‘Beneath the water is beauty. Always look beneath the surface before you decide on things.’
The US coastguard is currently searching for the Briton – who is said to have been part of the entertainment team on the Harmony of the Seas vessel. He fell off the ship 267 miles northwest of Aguadilla in Puerto Rico.
Harmony of the Seas is currently sailing on a seven-night itinerary that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, December 23.
It has port calls to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti.
In the days leading up to his disappearance, Mr Hough can be seen tweeting about life on the ship – and even shared footage of his production of Grease.
And in his penultimate tweet posted a cryptic message which read: ‘Beneath the water is beauty. Always look beneath the surface before you decide on things.’
Harmony of the Seas is currently sailing on a 7-night itinerary that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday. It has port calls to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti
Arron Hough (left and right), 20, is believed to have fallen overboard from the Royal Caribbean vessel Harmony of the Seas while around 300 miles from Puerto Rico. The Foreign Office has confirmed it is ‘providing assistance to the family of a British man who has been reported missing of Fort Lauderdale’
A friend of Mr Hough, who contacted MailOnline but asked to remain anonymous, said she was ‘heartbroken beyond words’ at the news.
She said: ‘Arron is the type of person people can only wish to have in their lives. He lights up any room like no one else can and everyone who knows and loves him has so many happy and cherished memories.
‘His infectious laugh and beaming smile is enough to pull anyone out from feeling down in the dumps. He’s helped me through some of the hardest times in my life and for that I’m eternally grateful.
‘I hope and pray we get our Arron back home where he belongs, the light of our lives has gone out.
Mr Hough’s mother, Tracey Steel, said on social media that she was ‘so proud I could burst’ when she found out the news her son had got the job on the cruise liner.
And she posted a message on his Facebook last week saying: ‘If my love for you was stars it would light up the universe.’
Mr Hough is believed to have been part of a Grease production (pictured) being held on the ship for the duration of the voyage
Mr Hough (pictured) is believed to have been working on the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship, which was on a seven-day excursion taking in locations including Philipsburg, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti
A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean confirmed to MailOnline that a member of the entertainment team onboard the ship did not report for work on December 25
On December 21 she posted one final message which read: ‘Love you son.’
Royal Caribbean International confirmed that a member of the entertainment team onboard the ship did not report for work on December 25.
A spokeswoman said: ‘On Monday, December 25, a member of the entertainment team onboard Harmony of the Seas en route to Philipsburg, St. Maarten, did not report to work as scheduled.
‘We are saddened to report that after a review of the ship’s closed-circuit camera footage, he was observed entering an area on Deck 5 at around 4am and was not seen again.
‘Local authorities were notified and a ship-wide search for the crew member was conducted.’
The spokesman said that its care team is now providing support to the family and friends of the staff member.
She continued: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.’
While The Foreign Office confirmed to MailOnline that it was aware of the missing man.
A spokesman said: ‘We are providing assistance to the family of a British man who has been reported missing of Fort Lauderdale.’
In the days leading up to his disappearance, Mr Hough (pictured left and right) can be seen tweeting about life on the ship – and even shared footage of his production of Grease
Mr Hough (left) is seen larking about with friends in a picture posted to his Facebook profile in mid-November. The youngster went missing while working on the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship
The crew member is believed to have been working on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Harmony of the Seas (pictured) before falling overboard
Mr Hough tweeted in mid-November that he was joining the staff of Harmony of the Seas. He is part of the entertainments team and had been performing in a production of Grease for the cruise guests
A HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Clearwater and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute are searching for Hough. The cruise ship was off Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The ship sails from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
Mr Hough is not the only crewmember this year to fall from a cruise ship, with Jack Daniel Ackroyd falling from the Adventure of the Seas last month during its journey to Cozumel, Mexico.
Staff on the ship did not realise the 27-year-old, from Nottingham, was missing until he did not report for duty after the vessel had docked.
The Royal Caribbean website says the Harmony of the Seas won the title of largest cruise ship in the world in 2016.
The ship cost $1billion (£695 million), can carry 6,780 guests and 2,100 crew, and took more than two-and-a-half years to construct.
The website says it is the first ship to feature the Broadway hit musical Grease as part of its entertainment programme.
Mr Hough is from Sunderland and attended the London-based drama school Urdang Academy, according to his Facebook page. The academy are ‘praying’ for Mr Hough and his family, according to a message posted on Twitter. It added: ‘Please keep up your hope and faith that he is found safe and sound as soon as possible’
In July, talent agency Russell Smith Associates tweeted that Mr Hough would be joining the cast of Grease The Musical on Harmony of the Seas. The London-based agency said: ‘Our thoughts are with all of his friends and family and we hope for him to be found very soon’