Mega Cruise Ship Aroya Transits Suez Canal With 2,300 Tourists On Board

The Suez Canal witnessed the passage of the mega cruise ship Aroya on Wednesday, September 17, marking its third transit through the Canal in less than one year.

The ship was part of the northern convoy, traveling from Istanbul, Türkiye, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a scheduled stop at Sharm El-Sheikh. On board were about 2,300 tourists of different nationalities along with 1,500 crew members.

According to Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), the vessel’s repeated passages reflects the growing trust in the Canal’s efficiency and capacity to handle cruise ships of all sizes.

Rabiee pointed out that the Authority’s flexible marketing policies, which include toll reductions and incentives for ships calling at Egyptian ports on the Mediterranean and Red Sea, have played an important role in attracting more international passenger vessels.

The Aroya sails under the Marshall Islands flag, measures 335 meters in length, and has a beam of 38 meters. The ship is registered at 151,000 gross tons and can carry more than 3,300 passengers along with over 1,600 crew members when fully booked.

This voyage is notable because cruise ships with passengers have rarely transited the Canal in recent times. Most cruise operators started diverting away from the Red Sea in 2024 due to ongoing security threats posed by the Houthis. Despite this, the Suez Canal Authority has continuously made efforts to position the Canal as a hub for both maritime tourism and logistics.

Data from the Authority shows that between 2021 and 2024, a total of 69 cruise ships crossed the Canal, carrying about 38,000 passengers and generating revenues of nearly $15.8 million.

Officials also noted that global cruise tourism is set for major growth, with passenger numbers expected to reach around 38 million by the end of 2025 and reaching up to 40 million by 2026.

The Aroya, built in 2017 by Germany’s Meyer Werft, first sailed in Asia as the World Dream under Dream Cruises until Genting Hong Kong’s financial collapse in 2022.

The ship was laid up in March 2022, later bought by Cruise Saudi, refurbished in Germany, and relaunched in late 2024 as Aroya, a cruise brand designed for Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.

The ship made its pre-maiden delivery voyage through the Suez Canal in December 2024, followed by a second transit in June 2025 to the Mediterranean for summer cruises. On its current trip, it continues its winter schedule and will homeport in Jeddah for the upcoming season.

In February 2026, Aroya is set to sail through the Red Sea past Yemen to Dubai, before returning to the Mediterranean in spring for the summer season.

Reference: Suez Canal

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