Aroya Cruises launch delayed until August, but not due to Red Sea security crisis

The Saudi Arabian cruise line, Aroya Cruise, the first homegrown cruise line in the Arab world, will not launch in May this year as planned.

Aroya Cruises is set to launch service in August instead of May, according to reports in the German media, quoting Cruise Saudi CEO Lars Clasen.

Although a reason for the delay was not given, it appears to be unrelated to the ongoing security crisis in the Red Sea, where the cruise line is planning to operate during its inaugural cruise season. 

“We don’t want to make any compromises and will take the time necessary. We want to do everything right, especially since there is no comparable reference product,” Clasen told Nordsee-Zeitung.

Aroya Cruises is a subsidiary of Cruise Saudi, the government-backed agency tasked with building the necessary infrastructure and market condition for a thriving cruise industry in Saudi Arabia.

The cruise line acquired its first cruise ship, the former World Dream from Genting Hong Kong in 2022 and sent her to Germany for a bow-to-stern refit and refurbishment. 

The ship is currently in dry dock at the Bredo Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, but will potentially be repositioned to Rotterdam for the remainder of her interior work.

“The ship will go to the Damen shipyard in Rotterdam in June or July,” Clasen said, adding that a return to Bremerhaven for the completion of interior work is being explored.

“We expect around 1,100 containers of material from international suppliers for the interior work. For this we need the appropriate logistics space. Whether this will still be available in Bremerhaven is also being examined.”

Re-named Manara, the ship is having the vast majority of her public areas and staterooms redesigned, while major areas such as the casinos will be gutted and rebuilt as a large shopping area, targeting the tastes and customs of the local Saudi cruise market.

Aroya Cruises has previously said that its brand and onboard experience will reflect Saudi Arabian culture and values.

It has become fairly standard for newbuild cruise ships and major refurbishment projects to be delayed following the COVID-19 pandemic, which created global supply chain shortages that continue to impact shipyards.