MSC Cruises has organised flights for more than 1,500 guests who were on board MSC Euribia in Dubai enabling them to leave the region.
As of this morning (AEDT), a total of seven flights carrying MSC Cruises’ guests have departed the region.
“These flights include dedicated charter services operated at MSC Cruises’ expense, seats secured in partnership with Emirates and Fly Dubai on scheduled commercial services, as well as some government‑organised flights,” MSC Cruises said in a statement.
Guests have been repatriated to a range of destinations, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States and Brazil.
As Travel Weekly reported earlier this week, six cruise ships remain stuck in the Middle East following the joint US and Israeli attack on Iran as the situation spreads to the Indian Ocean after a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka.
These ships, included TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Celestyal Cruises, and Aroya Cruises, are docked in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. Cruise ships cannot sail to safer waters without entering the Strait of Hormuz, which is close to Iran and is currently closed to shipping.
Ships stuck and cruise lines divert as Middle East crisis spreads to Indian Ocean
“I am immensely proud of how the whole company is coming together with this highly complex repatriation operation,” MSC executive chairman Cruises Pierfrancesco Vago said.
“Our Ship Command and crew have worked tirelessly to ensure our guests are well cared for and our teams across the globe have worked round the clock to get our guests home safely and in a timely manner.
“We have received unparalleled support from our airline partner, Emirates as well as the regional and national governments who are supporting us to facilitate the necessary operational logistics and authorisation for the flights. We still have some guests on the ship, but we are working hard to secure their safe passage from the region.”
