Royal Caribbean, MSC cancel cruises as a result of Red Sea assaults

Some cruise operators have cancelled or adjusted their itineraries to keep away from the Red Sea as a result of assaults on ships by Houthis, however the total impression on the multi-billion greenback business just isn’t anticipated to be important.

The assaults by Houthis in Yemen since November have slowed commerce between Asia and Europe and raised considerations about an escalation of the warfare in Gaza.

Royal Caribbean mentioned in an announcement on Thursday it had cancelled two voyages to date. One from Muscat to Dubai was meant to happen January 16-26, and one other from Dubai to Mumbai was scheduled for January 26-February 11.

It additionally amended final week the itinerary of a cruise between Aqaba and Muscat to disembark friends in a port metropolis close to Athens.

“Our global security team continues to closely monitor the situation in the region and we will make additional changes if required,” Royal Caribbean mentioned.

Swiss-Italian operator MSC Cruises mentioned on Wednesday it had cancelled three journeys in April from South Africa and the UAE to Europe because of the Red Sea disaster.

“The safety of passengers and crew is the number one priority and as there was no viable alternative itinerary, the company has regrettably had to cancel the voyages,” MSC Cruises mentioned. “The three ships will transfer directly to Europe without any passengers on board and avoid transiting through the Red Sea.”

Although hundreds of passengers are affected, the impression on cruise operators at a worldwide stage just isn’t anticipated to be important, mentioned Todd Elliott, CEO of Florida-based journey company Cruise Vacation Outlet.

“This is a small part of their overall fleet and multi-year itineraries so they will be able to overcome this easily,” Elliott mentioned.

Italy’s Costa Cruises informed Reuters on Thursday that routes “remain unchanged” and solely two of its cruises scheduled to transit via the Red Sea in March and April may very well be affected, together with the final leg of a round-the-world journey.

Carnival mentioned its international safety staff was working with international safety specialists and governments to prioritise security, together with adjusting its itineraries if wanted.