Andrea Zelinsky
Just days before many of us clink champagne glasses to ring in the New Year, Yemen-based Houthi rebels attacked a ship in the Red Sea.
It was the latest in a series of attacks in recent weeks as Iran-backed Houthi rebels have targeted ships with missiles and drones, prompting the United States to deploy naval forces to protect ships transiting the canal.
But despite these protections, the report says container shipping giants Maersk, Kuehne, Nagle and MSC are allowing their ships to sail much further out in Africa, rather than skipping the Suez port altogether. It didn't stop him from giving instructions.
The attacks could disrupt global trade and worsen supply chain problems, but have not yet affected most cruise itineraries. The Red Sea is not a major attraction for cruise holidays and the Suez Canal is a convenient shortcut, especially for world cruises, but most major brands do not have ships scheduled to transit the canal until spring.
Shorter sailings also pass through this area. For example, Silversea's Silver Moon cruised through the canal to the Red Sea on New Year's Eve. Before the Silver Moon ended its voyage to Aqaba, Jordan last Saturday, she made a port call in Saudi Arabia in the northern Red Sea. The voyage took place in the far north of Yemen, where the vessel was attacked.
However, this week the Silver Moon's itinerary, which had been scheduled to sail through the Red Sea from Aqaba, Jordan, through Yemen to Muscat, Oman, was changed. Royal Caribbean Group told Travel Weekly on Tuesday that guests will no longer end their cruises in Muscat and instead disembark in Aqaba, and the company is in the process of adjusting return flight schedules. Royal Caribbean Group did not immediately respond to questions about Silversea's Persian Gulf voyage, scheduled for February and requiring passage through Yemen.
Cruise companies have responded with little or no response about their looming contingency plans, perhaps hoping that won't be an issue when more ships need to use the canal again this spring.
Carnival Corp. Management avoided mentioning the geopolitical conflict in its fourth-quarter earnings call in late December until Infinity Research analyst Assia Georgieva inquired about Costa Toscana's expected transit of the Suez in March.
Carnival Corp. CEO Josh Weinstein's answer was simple and clear.
“Obviously our top priority is going to be safety. It's already on our radar screen and we have mitigation plans in place if needed. But keep in mind, this is months away,” he said. “We will do the right thing.”
Jody Venturoni, Carnival's chief communications officer, said separately that it was impossible to say when any decisions on the Red Sea and Suez would be made. The company is in constant contact with local and global authorities, along with its partners and tour operators in the region, and will “use the most up-to-date guidance to determine whether future itinerary adjustments are necessary” and communicate any changes directly to customers. And their travel advisors, she said.
Between the ongoing war in Ukraine, the intense conflict with Israel and the Gaza Strip, and the current attacks in the Red Sea, Weinstein lamented that “there's always something.”
