Silversea and MSC Cruises have adjusted their itineraries to avoid the Red Sea. Weeks of Houthi militant attacks on shipping vessels in the area have already forced many freight giants to abandon the Suez Canal shortcut between Asia, Africa and Europe in favour of taking a longer, safer route around Africa.
MSC Cruises rerouted the MSC Poesia, a 115-day world cruise, which was scheduled to sail through the Suez Canal on January 16. The company said despite the adjustments, due to security risks, most of the scheduled stops remained in the itinerary. The itinerary of the Poesia will no longer include Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The revised route will instead sail from the Mediterranean and around the west and south coasts of Africa to Kenya. Thence, it will double back around the Cape and resume its journey to South America.
A spokesperson for the parent company of Silversea, the Royal Caribbean Group, said the itinerary for Silver Moon had been adjusted due to safety concerns. The 10-day-long cruise, which set sail on January 6 in Aqaba, Jordan, was scheduled to complete its journey in Muscat, Oman. The cruise has now been adjusted into a roundtrip, with the cruise line saying it will change passengers’ return flights accordingly.
Oceania Cruises had already altered the 2024 Mediterranean cruise schedule late last year to replace ports of call in Egypt, Israel, and Jordan.
Other cruise lines have adopted a wait-and-see approach to the conflict area, as cruises to the Middle East are mostly scheduled for spring.
“Obviously, our first priority is going to be safety. That’s already on our radar screen, and we’ve got mitigation plans, should we need it. But keep in mind, this is months away,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation. Its ship, Costa Toscana, plans to sail through the Suez Canal in March.
