Silversea cancels additional cruises via Middle East on Red Sea security concerns

Silversea Cruises has cancelled two additional itineraries that were due to sail via the Middle East this year on the back of ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea. 

Silver Whisper was due to cruise from Mumbai to Piraeus (Athens) on March 20th, transitting through the Suez Canal, while Silver Spirit was scheduled to transit the Red Sea and Suez Canal on her repositioning voyage from Australia in March.

Both cruises have now been adjusted. The voyage from Mumbai has been cancelled entirely, while Silver Spirit’s repositioning cruise has been amended to end in the Seychelles. Both ships will instead sail without passengers around Africa for Europe.

“Our Global Security Team has been closely monitoring the geopolitical situation in the Red Sea region, which continues to remain fluid and escalating,” Silversea said in a statement. 

“Under their advisement and in align with our industry counterparts, we have been forced to amend Silver Whisper’s scheduled navigation, and therefore, cancel the voyage,” the statement added.

Guests booked on the cancelled itineraries are being offered a range of compensations that include the possibility to change their bookings for different sailings, receive full refunds, and more.

These latest cancellations come after Silversea previously cancelled itineraries aboard Silver Moon, which was due to sail three cruises to and from Middle Eastern ports, including Dubai and Muscat.

The ship is instead sailing without passengers around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope in Cape Town, in order to make her scheduled Mumbai cruise departure for Asia in February.

The decision comes in the wake of an ongoing security crisis in the Red Sea, which connects the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal, which in turns provides access to the Mediterranean. 

Houthi rebels in Yemen have been firing on ships passing through the Bab Al Mandeb Strait (‘Gateway of Tears’ in Arabic), using drones and missiles, in alleged retaliation for the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was itself a retaliation for the October 7th, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas.

Although no cruise ships have been targeted, more than 100 cargo vessels have been struck, and at least nine cruise lines have cancelled or amended itineraries passing through the region as a result.