Cruise ships begin to leave Arabian Gulf as Strait of Hormuz declared ‘open’

Cruise ships that have remained docked in the Arabian Gulf since late February amid tensions between the US and Iran have begun to depart the region.

The development comes following confirmation from the Iranian government that the Strait of Hormuz is open to maritime traffic, allowing long-delayed repositioning voyages to resume.

Celestyal Cruises’ Celestyal Discovery became the first vessel to transit the Strait, departing the Gulf on Friday evening in a move that signals the start of a broader phased exit for ships that had remained alongside in the UAE and Qatar.

Sister ship Celestyal Journey has also now departed Doha, apparently bound for the Indian Ocean, as the operator moves to restore its European deployment schedule. Both vessels had completed passenger disembarkation earlier this month and have been awaiting clearance to proceed.

TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4, currently in Abu Dhabi, and Mein Schiff 5, in Doha, have both reactivated their AIS transponders, indicating preparations for imminent departure. The two vessels had seen significant disruption to their repositioning itineraries, including cancelled segments en route to Europe and South Africa.

MSC Cruises’ MSC Euribia remains alongside in Dubai, with its immediate operational plans yet to be confirmed.

However, the ship is expected to follow in the coming hours. Earlier this week, MSC Group Cruise Division Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago signalled that the cruise line intended to move quickly once conditions allowed, stating: “We need to stay cool and be ready to move out as soon as the possibility comes by.”

AROYA Cruises only vessel, Aroya, is also still in Dammam, on Saudi Arabia’s Arabian Gulf coast, but has reactivated her AIS transponder. The cruise line will likely also move quickly to relocate the ship, as it is due to sail a range of roundtrip Red Sea cruises out of Jeddah from next month.

In total, six cruise ships had been awaiting onward deployment across ports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, supported by coordinated measures from regional authorities and port operators.

These included extended berthing arrangements, provisioning, and technical services, ensuring vessels remained operational while plans were revised.

The reopening of the Strait marks a significant shift after weeks of uncertainty linked to regional tensions that had disrupted commercial shipping movements through one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors.

The episode has underlined both the vulnerability of global cruise deployment patterns to geopolitical developments and the operational resilience of Gulf ports, which have accommodated multiple vessels outside of standard turnaround operations during an extended period of disruption.