Crystal Cruises cancels Chairman’s Cruise from Saudi Arabia on Red Sea crisis

Crystal Cruises has cancelled its Chairman’s Cruise aboard Crystal Symphony from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Rhodes, Greece on April 2nd, 2024, along with the March 27th departure from Mumbai, India.

The cancellations come on the back of the ongoing security crisis in the Red Sea, where Houthi militia in Yemen have been firing on merchant shipping using drones and missiles, forcing cargo ships and cruise lines to reroute around South Africa.

Along with the cancellation of Crystal Symphony’s cruise from Saudi Arabia, the cruise line has also opted to reroute several segments of its world cruise on the Crystal Serenity away from the Red Sea.

The 126-day sailing that departed San Diego on February 3rd will conclude as scheduled on June 8th in Miami, but instead of sailing through the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal the ship will instead circumnavigate southern Africa, sailing for North American via South Africa and West Africa. 

Houthi militants in Yemen began attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea late last year, prompting cruise and cargo ships to avoid the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the shortest maritime route between Asia and Europe. 

Several cruise lines have announced reroutings, including several Carnival Corporation cruise lines: AIDACruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and the Italian cruise line MSC Cruises as well as Silversea and Royal Caribbean.

The situation in the Red Sea has had a severe impact on the Middle East cruise sector, with MSC Cruises being forced to cancel its homeporting season out of Saudi Arabia, along with all its repositioning cruises from Dubai to Europe.

AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises, which also homeport annually in the Arabian Gulf out of Dubai, have also announced the cancelation of their repositioning cruises. 

The attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are in alleged retaliation for the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which it itself a retaliation for the October 7th, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, a militant group that controls the Gaza Strip.

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have said they will continue to enforce a ‘blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas until a ceasefire is achieved and a siege is lifted in the Gaza Strip’.

The US has launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, and has intercepted weapons bound for the group, but has been unable to deter further attacks on civilian shipping.

With the group vowing to continue its attacks indefinitely, its unclear what further impact the situation may have on the 2024/25 Middle East cruise season.