Iran has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz after reopening the crucial channel on Friday, but not before a handful of major cruise ships that were trapped in the Persian Gulf managed to flee the area.
The largest vessel, MSC Euribia, safely transited the Strait of Hormuz and is en route to Northern Europe.
“The passage was completed in close coordination with the relevant authorities,” operator MSC Cruises said in a statement.
“MSC Euribia is on course to resume her Northern Europe season, and as the ship will now be able to return sooner than previously anticipated,
MSC Cruises confirms that the cruise departing on 16 May from Kiel (and 17 May from Copenhagen) will now operate as originally scheduled, with all subsequent sailings operating as planned.
“Guests whose cruises were cancelled will have the option to transfer their booking to this sailing should they wish, and will be contacted directly with further details from tomorrow.”
Celestyal Cruises’ Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey also fled the Gulf during the brief reopening.
According to the ship tracking service CruiseMapper, the two cruise ships are currently in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman.
The next Celestyal Discovery sailing is scheduled for 1 May, while the Celestyal Journey is due to depart on its next passenger voyage the day after. Both trips leave from Greece.
“We look forward to welcoming guests back on board in the Mediterranean. Preparations are already underway to ensure our return to service delivers the exceptional experience our guests expect,” the cruise line said in a statement before the Strait reopened.
Tui Cruises, which also had two vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf, confirmed that both of its ships, Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5, had passed through Hormuz.
In a statement on its website, the German-based cruise line said the ships were now en route to the Mediterranean Sea via Cape Town.
“I would like to extend my special thanks to our captains, the crews and all the teams on board and ashore who have helped to overcome this situation with great professionalism, caution and dedication,” TUI Cruises CEO Wybcke Meier remarked.
“We are therefore all the more delighted that we can now swiftly return to regular operations and deploy our entire fleet as planned.
“The fact that we are now able to offer our guests the cancelled cruises after all is a testament to the solidarity and the efficiency of TUI Cruises.”
According to CruiseMapper, the Aroya Manara was the only other major ship in the Persian Gulf when the Strait was originally closed. According to overnight AIS data, the vessel is en route to the port of Fujairah in the Oman Gulf.
The six cruise ships had been trapped in the Gulf since the US-Iran war broke out in late February.
