Multiple cruise ships took advantage of a brief re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz to pass through the area after being stranded in the Persian Gulf for weeks.
MSC Cruises’ Euribia, Celestyal Journey, Celestyal Discovery and TUI’s Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 all passed through the contentious waterway on Saturday.
A Break in the Tension Gives a Chance to Leave
These ships had been stuck since strikes by the United States against Iran created a closure of the strait starting weeks ago.
Negotiations between the two countries led to a re-opening of the waterway at the start of the weekend, and the ships took advantage.
“The Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 have successfully passed the Strait of Hormuz. We would like to thank the captains and crews, as well as all those involved who supported and enabled the safe passage with great professionalism and prudence,” TUI said in a statement as reported by CruiseIndustryNews.
MSC confirmed to Cruzely that its ship, the 6,327 passenger MSC Euribia passed through as well.
“MSC Cruises confirms that MSC Euribia has departed Dubai, has safely transited the Strait of Hormuz, and is now en route to Northern Europe. The passage was completed in close coordination with the relevant authorities,” a statement read.
According to CruiseIndustryNews, the ships passed through the strait with only small “skeleton” crews onboard.
Return to Sailing for the Ships Will Still Take Time
Even though the ships are now free of the Persian Gulf, it will still take time for them to get back up and running. First, they must travel to their scheduled ports but also need to re-staff the ships in preparation of returning to cruising.
For example, MSC says it anticipates sailing its first cruise back from Kiel, Germany for its Northern Europe season, but not until May 16 — approximately a month from now.
Made it Out Before the Strait Closed Again
These ships taking their first opportunity to depart looks fortunate as well.
As of Saturday, reports were that Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to a United States blockade. There were also reports that Iran attacked at least two ships in the area.
