Update on cruise ship allegedly targetted by Iran while exiting the Arabian Gulf

An unconfirmed report of an incident involving Mein Schiff 4 has emerged following the vessel’s transit of the Strait of Hormuz on April 18th, 2026.

According to France 24, a cruise ship was threatened by Iranian naval forces, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a cruise ship sighted a “splash” near the vessel.

UKMTO did not confirm which vessel reported the incident. MSC Euribia, Mein Schiff 4, and Mein Schiff 5 were all sailing in close proximity in the Strait at the time of the incident.

The industry blog Cruise Law News has reported Mein Schiff 4 as the vessel targetted, but the information is based on a Wikipedia entry that cites France 24 as a source. The France 24 article does not specifically name Mein Schiff 4, and TUI Cruises has not confirmed any such incident involving one of its vessels.

The only formally documented account of activity in the area comes from a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) advisory issued on April 18th, 2026. The notice stated that the master of a cruise ship reported observing a “splash” in close proximity to the vessel approximately three nautical miles east of Oman. The advisory did not identify the ship involved or attribute a cause.

No injuries or damage have been reported to any cruise ships that transitted the Strait of Hormuz this week, and all ships involved continued their onward passage without deviation. All six cruise ships that were operating in the Gulf have now departed.

The incident occurred during a concentrated period of departures, as cruise lines moved vessels out of the Gulf following the reopening of the Strait. MSC Euribia, Mein Schiff 4, and Mein Schiff 5 were among the ships transiting within a similar timeframe, alongside Celestyal Journey, which had departed earlier from Doha. Celestyal Discovery had exited the region shortly beforehand, while Aroya transited the Strait the following day en route to Jeddah.

All vessels had been operating with essential crew only, after passenger sailings in the region were suspended in late February. The departures form part of a wider repositioning effort, with ships now routing towards their next deployment regions ahead of the summer season.

Following the transit, routing strategies have diverged. MSC Euribia and the two TUI Cruises vessels are proceeding via southern routes around Africa, while Celestyal Journey is expected to return to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. Aroya is heading to Saudi Arabia to begin a Red Sea deployment.