Key Aspects:
- MSC Euribia, Celestyal Journey, and Mein Schiff 5 are all in motion to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Each ship is heading for a port in Oman before moving on to their new homeports in Europe.
- Mein Schiff 4 remains docked in Abu Dhabi at this time but may be on the move soon.
With the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the UAE now open, more cruise ships are using the opportunity to depart the Arabian Gulf and head for their next homeports.
Cruise Hive has already reported on the successful departure of Celestyal Discovery, which departed Dubai at 11:36 a.m. on Friday, April 17. The ship is heading for Muscat, Oman.
Three more ships have since set sail from the various ports where they have waited out the nearly two-month closure. While no cruise line has issued any official statement on the strait’s reopening, Cruise Hive’s Cruise Ship Tracker confirms their various movements.
MSC Euribia
The 184,000-gross-ton MSC Euribia is the largest of the cruise ships to have extended their stay in the Arabian Gulf while the Strait of Hormuz has been closed. The ship was docked in Dubai but is now en route to Muscat, Oman at just 8 knots (9 miles per hour) with an arrival time estimated at roughly 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
While MSC Euribia‘s first departures in northern Europe have already been cancelled, she may yet make her May 23 departure from Kiel, Germany. Exactly which departure will now be her first for the European season will depend on how quickly she is able to transit the nearly 8,300 miles to Germany.
Celestyal Journey
From Doha, Qatar Celestyal Journey is now making her way across the Arabian Gulf on course to pass through the Strait of Hormuz to Khasab, right at the northern tip of Oman and technically still within the strait.
Currently moving at 18 knots (21 mph), the ship should arrive at roughly 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
This is described as an anchorage port and may be a destination for the 42,300-gross-ton ship to refuel or take on further supplies before continuing to her next homeport.
Like her sistership, Celestyal Discovery, Celestyal Journey is scheduled to homeport in Greece. The ship will be offering 7-night Greek Isles and Mediterranean sailings through mid-November, at which time she is scheduled to return to the Middle East.
Mein Schiff 5
TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 5 has also been waiting in Doha but is now on the move to Khasab as well, scheduled to arrive at approximately 2 p.m. on Saturday. At a speed of 17 knots (20 mph), the 99,800-gross-ton ship is keeping a good pace.
Mein Schiff 5 is also headed to Greece to offer a season of 7-night itineraries from Heraklion before moving to the Caribbean and homeporting from La Romana in the Dominican Republic in mid-November.
What Is Next for All Three Ships?
Because each of the cruise ships now on the move out of the Arabian Gulf are repositioning without guests aboard, they will likely take time to refuel and resupply before arriving at their new homeports.
Crew members may also have been evacuated as a precautionary measure when the strait’s closure grew more extensive, and those crew members will now need to rejoin their respective vessels.
Just one more major cruise ship remains docked and has not yet begun to move out of the Arabian Gulf: Mein Schiff 4 is overdue to begin her Mediterranean season. She was scheduled to move around Africa with a departure from Cape Town on April 11, but her route may now be adjusted to arrive in Palma de Mallorca more quickly.
Despite some tense moments in the past two months, including when two Iranian missile-armed drones crashed in Abu Dhabi on March 1, close to Mein Schiff 4, no cruise ship has reported damage during the conflict.
As of publication, Mein Schiff 4 remains docked in Abu Dhabi but may well be making departure plans very soon.
