An Italian chef who once worked in Bermuda at the Little Venice Restaurant is missing at sea presumed to have fallen off of a cruise ship.

At the time of his disappearance, sometime between November 25 and 26, Angelo Faliva, 31, was working as a sous chef on US-based Princess Cruises Coral Princess.

The ship was sailing from Aruba to Cartagena, Colombia when Mr. Faliva went missing.

Conflicting accounts about where and when the chef was last seen have been reported in the international media.

According to Julie Benson, spokesperson for Princess Cruises, Mr. Faliva was last seen at 8.30 a.m. on November 26 when he spoke to another crew member as the ship drew close to Colombia.

However, the Faliva family claimed to have heard a different story.

The family said they had been told that Mr. Faliva was last seen as he unexpectedly walked out of the ship's galley at 8.15 p.m. while he was working the dinner shift on Wednesday, November 25.

They said that they had also been informed that a life preserver was missing from the ship with its emergency illumination flares ripped off and left on board.

Chiara Faliva, Angelo Faliva's sister said she believes foul play may have been involved. Speaking to the Associated Press she said: "He surely didn't jump off, it wasn't suicide. We think there was an accident or homicide."

The Coral Princess left Florida on November 23 for a voyage around the Caribbean and South America. It is currently on its way from Panama to Acapulco, Mexico, Mr. Faliva is presumed to have gone missing as the ship neared port in Cartagena, Colombia.

According to Ms Benson, CCTV footage from around the ship was reviewed but did not show anyone falling overboard.

"Obviously we are very concerned," she said. "This is very unusual and clearly we are concerned for his safety. It may very well be that he went overboard but we don't know that for a fact."

Michelle Celentano, a chef who worked with Mr. Faliva in Bermuda, said that Faliva worked on the Island for about eight months before moving back to Italy in 2006.

"He was a fun-loving guy and very energetic," said Mr. Celentano. "I don't know what could have happened. I was shocked to hear about this. It is sad."

The ship is due to arrive in Los Angeles on December 7 where American authorities, including the FBI, will begin an investigation into Faliva's mysterious disappearance.