Consequences of attacks on shipping in the Red sea

[Peter Lanky]

We are booked on the Journey cruise named the Spice Route Voyage sailing on May 3rd 2024. This is a repositioning cruise that is scheduled to traverse the Red Sea towards the end of the cruise. The same issue would also apply to any other cruise ships passing through the Red Sea at a similar time.

 

With a number of cargo ship lines starting to avoid the Red Sea due to attacks from Yemen, what would happen if the crisis is prolonged and also if shipping lines considered that there would also be a risk to cruise ships? The ship is scheduled to be in the Mediterranean for some time, so it can't simply not go there, but how would the cruise lines most likely address the problem? Azamara has already taken the step of removing the call at Israel from the schedule, so these decisions need to be taken well in advance of the cruise.

 

Has anyone seen anything similar before and has some experience of it?

[uktog]

I would expect that cruise lines would take a "wait and see approach" until early Spring as to whether this becomes a more permanent re route or not.  I would see the Suez Canal authorities and Egypt playing a part in how the wider safety of the shipping ways in the region shapes up.

 

The typical solution would be to reroute itineraries via South Africa with some cruises either pre or post the Far East being significantly altered to allow the ships to return by that longer route.

 

Roughly similar was the Black Sea and St Petersburg cruises that had a major revamp.

 

Unfortunately the communication of the decision may not be "well in advance"  I would be prepared for disruption and possibly disembarking in Dubai if your cruise goes ahead on the original dates.  

[IslandThyme]

I have the same questions and concerns about the world cruise. We are scheduled to be in the Middle East and transiting the Suez Canal in late April and early May. Israel has already been taken off the itinerary, but we are still scheduled to visit Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. 

[excitedofharpenden]

Nobody here or indeed elsewhere is going to be able to answer these questions or put anyones mind at rest. It's unprecedented AFAIK in recent years. There's been the risk of pirate attacks in the area, but this is different and political. Just have to wait and see and trust Azamara to keep everyone safe, which is their first priority. 

 

Phil 

[uktog]

1 hour ago, IslandThyme said:

I have the same questions and concerns about the world cruise. We are scheduled to be in the Middle East and transiting the Suez Canal in late April and early May. Israel has already been taken off the itinerary, but we are still scheduled to visit Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. 

I think the OP is talking about a segment of the world cruise not another cruise so it’s the same for that voyage. Too early to tell

 

World Cruises always carry the highest risk these days. The days of the Cunard cruise leaving Southampton for a genuine round the world experience and completing it as advertised are long gone. 

[IslandThyme]

OP's cruise is on Journey, the WC is on Onward. Not that it makes any substantive difference when it comes to this volatile situation.

[uktog]

15 minutes ago, IslandThyme said:

OP's cruise is on Journey, the WC is on Onward. Not that it makes any substantive difference when it comes to this volatile situation.

Sorry got my ships muddled

I see a joint task force has been established tonight to try and aid securing the shipping lanes. The economic impact of the diversions will be massive for Europe so the problem has to be resolved quickly 

[IslandThyme]

Yes, I just saw that as well. Now it remains to be seen whether cruise line insurers will consider that to be sufficient protection.

[Peter Lanky]

Having given this much thought, I can see only 2 viable solutions.

One is for naval nations to escort shipping through the danger zone with warships. This may sound costly, but the ships are at sea anyway and are manned, so they may as well be doing something useful.

The second is to sail around South Africa, and make some alterations to the schedules. The problem with this is that it would effectively cancel some existing Mediterranean cruises, but create a new cruise from Cape Town to the Mediterranean, if the original cruise was diverted to Cape town to start with which would make sense. This would be the safest, but would create a lot of logistic decisions reasonably soon. The other problem with this would be people in the wrong place for their flight home.

 

I was purely speculating rather than expecting a definitive answer.

[Riocca]

2 hours ago, Peter Lanky said:

Having given this much thought, I can see only 2 viable solutions.

One is for naval nations to escort shipping through the danger zone with warships. This may sound costly, but the ships are at sea anyway and are manned, so they may as well be doing something useful.

The second is to sail around South Africa, and make some alterations to the schedules. The problem with this is that it would effectively cancel some existing Mediterranean cruises, but create a new cruise from Cape Town to the Mediterranean, if the original cruise was diverted to Cape town to start with which would make sense. This would be the safest, but would create a lot of logistic decisions reasonably soon. The other problem with this would be people in the wrong place for their flight home.

 

I was purely speculating rather than expecting a definitive answer.

In 2009 during P&O’s Arcadia’s Grand Voyage at the peak of pirate activity in that area we were escorted by a U.K. Navy warship at close quarters in both directions. However the current threat is different from the waterborne pirates, drones and possibly missiles would present a much more dangerous threat.

We are booked on Pursuits October Athens to Dubai cruise and are booking changeable flights just in case, although I’m sure cruise ships are way down in priority given the greater importance of the effects on commercial shipping.

[Huntingdon1701]

Navy ships were already keeping a close on civilian traffic through the Suez Canal. Sailing through there last year, we had snipers on board and had to close all the blinds at night, while one of the naval ships monitored us. At the time, it just felt exciting. Not sure it would be so comfortable right now.

 

 

[Hopafora]

Still no word from Silver Moon? We board Aqaba 6 Jan due to sail down Red Sea and through Bab el Maneb strait a few days later. Surely a responsible cruise company Silverseas/Royal Caribbean would be reconsidering such such as a In safe route???

Anyone else in this position? 

[susiesan]

Oceania has already rerouted their Red Sea cruises in 2024 to go around the long way via Capetown. 

[Grandma Cruising]

10 hours ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

Navy ships were already keeping a close on civilian traffic through the Suez Canal. Sailing through there last year, we had snipers on board and had to close all the blinds at night, while one of the naval ships monitored us. At the time, it just felt exciting. Not sure it would be so comfortable right now.

 

 

That had changed in October 23, we had no security guys on board and we didn’t have to keep our curtains close. There was no ‘pirate’ drill either. It was our fourth Azamara Athens to Dubai cruise and the only one with no extra security measures.

[Gitte]

On 12/26/2023 at 10:57 PM, Hopafora said:

Still no word from Silver Moon? We board Aqaba 6 Jan due to sail down Red Sea and through Bab el Maneb strait a few days later. Surely a responsible cruise company Silverseas/Royal Caribbean would be reconsidering such such as a In safe route???

Anyone else in this position? 

 

We are on the next sailing from Dubai. The Silver Moon has left for Port Said.

Hope everything goes as planned.

[jelayne]

We went through early November on the Celebrity Edge.  Canal transit was during the day so no blackout.  There were 3 cruise ships along with many cargo ships in the convoy.  The first ship at the front was the USS Eisenhower there was also a destroyer in the group and reports of a submarine.  Our port call in Jordan (Petra) was cancelled and replaced with Oman.  

[manc]

I think you have to decide if your cruise will be an unforgettable experience if you miss Jordan and Petra and possibly Luxor. Oman is lovely but why did you book? I don't think Azanara would transit the canal if any real concerns about safety but you may miss ports  

[Peter Lanky]

11 hours ago, manc said:

I think you have to decide if your cruise will be an unforgettable experience if you miss Jordan and Petra and possibly Luxor. Oman is lovely but why did you book? I don't think Azanara would transit the canal if any real concerns about safety but you may miss ports  

One of my main issues is not the ports but the visas. This cruise needs quite a  few visas (aka money for old rope) and I don't want to be buying visas and then find that we're not going to that country, because they're not in the habit of refunding. SL, India, Egypt, Saudi and Jordan all need visas, but hopefully the latter ones retain a visa on arrival.

[Keeria]

4 hours ago, Peter Lanky said:

One of my main issues is not the ports but the visas. This cruise needs quite a  few visas (aka money for old rope) and I don't want to be buying visas and then find that we're not going to that country, because they're not in the habit of refunding. SL, India, Egypt, Saudi and Jordan all need visas, but hopefully the latter ones retain a visa on arrival.

The Egyptian and the Jordanian visa will be taken care of by Azamara. 

[Peter Lanky]

1 hour ago, Keeria said:

The Egyptian and the Jordanian visa will be taken care of by Azamara. 

Does that mean that Azamara has some sort of 'all inclusive' visa access for passengers, or that Azamara sorts out the paperwork and then bills you for the visa?

[uktog]

We never got one for Jordan or Egypt and I don’t recall paying however I do recall they kept our passports for about a week after we left Dubai coming through the canal 

[Keeria]

49 minutes ago, Peter Lanky said:

Does that mean that Azamara has some sort of 'all inclusive' visa access for passengers, or that Azamara sorts out the paperwork and then bills you for the visa?

On our cruise with Journey from Athens to Dubai in October 2023, the passports were collected one day before we reached the country where visas were required and we could collect them in the evening before we visited the relevant ports. On this cruise, all visas where complimentary. 

 

 

[klsd]

23 hours ago, manc said:

I think you have to decide if your cruise will be an unforgettable experience if you miss Jordan and Petra and possibly Luxor. Oman is lovely but why did you book? I don't think Azanara would transit the canal if any real concerns about safety but you may miss ports  

If a change is made on the fly, would a cruise line let you modify your booking?  For example if there is a segment that ends in CapeTown or another port (that would have proceeded to the Red Sea area), would you be able to terminate the cruise at that point (and get a credit or refund)? Perhaps you don't want to stay on board to go around Africa, and miss some ports because of the longer Africa travel?  Also, incurring many more sea days perhaps.

 

Anyone have any insights?

Edited December 31, 2023 by klsd
clarify

[Lellyb]

We are due to sail from South Africa to Abu Dhabi and through the Red Sea to Athens at the end of January. I was wondering whether our insurance would cover us if we wanted to cancel due to fears of potential attack and/or we travelled in that area against the advice of the Foreign Office. Reading the policy conditions it doesn’t appear to cover us. The financial cost of us cancelling a 62 day cruise without insurance compensation is very prohibitive!  

[Grandma Cruising]

If foreign advice is not to travel then you should be insured.