Cruise ships stranded amid Middle East conflict

 

The conflict in the Middle East is also impacting the cruise sector. At least six cruise ships from four companies — TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Celestyal Cruises and Aroya Cruises – remain stranded at ports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, with thousands of passengers onboard and no clear path home, according to People.

The situation is linked to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks on American military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain. As a result, airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were damaged and largely suspended operations, the Strait of Hormuz was blocked to much of commercial shipping, and airspace across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, Iraq and parts of Jordan was closed to civilian aviation.

·        TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4, docked in Abu Dhabi with approximately 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew members, was directly affected when a missile struck the water nearby on Sunday. Passengers remain below deck, away from windows, receiving missile threat alerts on their mobile phones.

·        Its sister ship, Mein Schiff 5, berthed in Doha, also faced disruption. Passengers who had boarded return flights on Saturday saw departures cancelled and waited for around ten hours at the airport before being transported back to the vessel, often without their luggage.

·        MSC Cruises stated that its ship in Dubai remains in port “following the guidance of regional U.S. military authorities,” adding that the situation onboard is calm.

·        Celestyal Cruises has cancelled departures from Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is offering full refunds or future cruise credits.

Tags: Middle East  cruise 

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