MSC Cruises Cancels Three Grand Voyages Amid Red Sea Security Concerns

MSC Cruises has cancelled three grand voyages scheduled to depart in April because of increased ship safety threats in the Red Sea. The decision was taken because of the continuous attacks on commercial vessels in the area, which are mostly caused by the actions of Houthis in Yemen. The impacted trips are the 24-night MSC Splendida cruise from Durban to Genoa, the 21-night MSC Opera sailing from Dubai to Genoa, and the 23-night MSC Virtuosa voyage from Dubai to Southampton, United Kingdom.

MSC Cruises mentioned that the safety of the passengers and crew was their primary concern and that the unavailability of suitable substitute itineraries caused the unforeseen cancellation of the three sailings. The three ships, MSC Splendida, MSC Opera, and MSC Virtuosa, will be moved straight to Europe without carrying passengers, bypassing the Red Sea. They will sail around Africa’s west coast, avoiding any stops along the way, to their European homeports during the summer of 2024.

Travel agents are directly informing passengers booked on these repositioning cruises. Customers can transfer their reservations for free to a future Grand Voyage of a comparable length. As an alternative, impacted travellers can decide to rebook on any other cruise, offering them the choice of receiving a full refund without incurring cancellation costs, a partial refund, or an additional payment to cover price discrepancies.

The fact that these voyages were cancelled serves as a reminder of the ongoing disruptions to the Red Sea’s shipping lanes, which has caused some ships to choose longer east-west routes that bypass the southern tip of Africa to avoid possible dangers in the Suez Canal. MSC Cruises guarantees that the rest of the company’s fleet will continue to operate normally and that this decision will only impact the chosen voyages.

Other cruise companies, including Holland America Line, are keeping a close watch on the security situation in the area as it develops to make sure that the right choices are taken with passenger safety as the top priority. If needed, these decisions may include rearranging itineraries. As part of its 2024 grand world cruise, Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam is presently planned to enter the Red Sea in mid-April.

Reference: Cruisehive, Cruise Industry News

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