5 Cruise ships successfully repositioned after departing Gulf

Five cruise ships stranded in the Arabian Gulf since the start of the Iran war have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Friday 17 April 2026, Iran reopened the strait to commercial vessels, allowing ships to pass through after a two-week ceasefire announced on 7 April. The strait was closed again the following day after the US maintained its blockade of vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports.

Celestyal Discovery was the first to pass through the strait on Friday evening, followed by sister ship Celestyal Journey and MSC Euribia, which departed Gulf ports alongside Tui Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5. According to MarineTraffic data, all five vessels cleared the strait before it closed again and are now continuing their repositioning voyages.

Celestyal said: “On Friday, 17 April 2026, Celestyal Discovery became the first cruise vessel to depart the Arabian Gulf. On Saturday, 18 April 2026, Celestyal Journey successfully navigated the same passage.”

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Earlier this month, Celestyal confirmed it was aiming to resume operations in the Mediterranean from May, with upcoming departures including a three-night Greek Islands sailing on Celestyal Discovery from 1 May 2026 and a seven-night Greece, Italy and Croatia sailing on Celestyal Journey from 2 May 2026.

MSC Cruises said: “MSC Euribia has departed Dubai, has safely transited the Strait of Hormuz, and is now en route to Northern Europe. The passage was completed in close coordination with relevant authorities.” The line confirmed Euribia will resume its Northern Europe season with a sailing from Kiel, Germany, on 16 May 2026, with affected guests being offered rebooking options.

Tui Cruises confirmed that Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 have also passed through the Strait of Hormuz and are now en route to the Mediterranean. Previously cancelled sailings will now go ahead as planned, including Mein Schiff 4’s departures from Trieste, Italy, from 17 May 2026 and Mein Schiff 5’s sailings from Heraklion, Greece, from 15 May 2026.

Wybcke Meier, CEO of Tui Cruises, said: “We are now able to return to regular operations and deploy our fleet as planned.”