MSC Cruises was one of the first cruise lines to cancel repositioning voyages to and from Dubai, and reroute its cruise ships around Africa instead of the through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, but insists that the security crisis in the region is isolated.

Antonio Paradiso, MSC Group’s international sales vice-president, said in a recent interview with TTG that the Arabian Gulf is separate from the Red Sea and Yemen, and remains safe for cruises, despite Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

His comments come in the run up to the 2024/25 Middle East cruise season, during which MSC Cruises will homeport MSC Euribia in Dubai, sailing 7-night roundtrip cruises in the Arabian Gulf, visiting Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Muscat and other destinations.

“There are no reasons to be concerned about sailing in the Arabian Gulf,” he said. “Our cruises are in the Arabian Gulf, which is quite far away from the Suez Canal. We were among one of the first cruise lines to adjust our repositioning cruises.”

MSC Cruises will homeport in Dubai alongside AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, TUI Cruises, and newcomers Resorts World Cruises. In addition, several of its ships will be featuring the region on grand voyages and repositioning itineraries, including its new luxury subsidiary Explora Journeys.

Last year, in addition to changes to grand voyages on MSC Virtuosa, MSC Opera, MSC Splendida and MSC Armonia passing through the Red Sea, MSC also decided to scrap MSC Sinfonia and MSC Orchestra’s entire programmes in the Western Mediterranean and Saudi Arabia owing to safety concerns arising from Israel’s war with Hamas, and the Houthi attacks on shipping.

While the regional situation has presented the cruise line with some headwinds, Paradiso says cruise demand remains strong. He is responsible for international markets including Australia, Scandinavia, and South Africa where MSC Cruises also homeports annually out of Durban and Cape Town.

MSC Cruises has been steadily increasing the size of ships it deploys to the Middle Eastern and South African cruise markets, both of which are classed as under-penetrated and emerging markets.

 “We’re far from overcapacity – we’re right in the middle of a golden age for cruise,” says Paradiso.