Hapag-Lloyd amends 2027 World Cruise to avoid Red Sea, introduces Cape Town leg

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has revised part of its 2027 World Cruise programme, confirming that EUROPA 2 will not transit the Red Sea due to ongoing security concerns in the region. 

The ship will instead operate four newly designed voyages between June 2nd and August 3rd, 2027, cruising through southern Africa and the Indian Ocean.

The amended schedule introduces a Cape Town leg for the first time within this segment of the World Cruise, underlining the growing importance of South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, as a call and turnaround port in global cruise itineraries.

EUROPA 2 will sail an 18-night cruise from Cape Town on July 3rd, 2027, calling in Namibia, St Helena and the Cape Verde Islands. A highlight of the voyage will be passage along Namibia’s infamous Skeleton Coast.

Cruise operators continue to divert their ships from the Red Sea, where commercial vessels remain vulnerable to attacks by Houthi rebels. Hapag-Lloyd’s decision affects the summer 2027 segment of the EUROPA 2’s global itinerary, which had initially been planned to connect Asia with Europe via the Suez Canal.

Passengers booked on the original cruises were notified in advance and offered alternative arrangements. The ship will rejoin its published schedule on August 3rd, 2027, when it sails from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Palma de Mallorca.

The new cruises begin in Hong Kong, with extended overnight calls in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore before crossing the Indian Ocean. After visiting Réunion and Maputo, the EUROPA 2 will arrive in Cape Town.

From South Africa, the voyage continues along Namibia’s coast before reaching the remote island of St Helena and the Cape Verde Islands, ending in Tenerife. The final segment covers ports in the western Mediterranean, including Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Corsica, before concluding in Rome.

The changes provide Hapag-Lloyd with an opportunity to showcase southern Africa within the context of its luxury offering, while still linking Asia and Europe as originally intended.