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TUI Cancels Second Leg of Middle East Repositioning Voyage

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TUI Cancels Second Leg of Middle East Repositioning Voyage

TUI Cruises cancelled an additional sailing due to the conflicts in the Middle East, according to a statement shared by the company.

With its vessels still stuck in the Arabian Gulf, the company is now cancelling a repositioning voyage that was set to take place onboard the Mein Schiff 4 starting on April 11, 2026.

The 20-night cruise was scheduled to sail between Cape Town, South Africa, and Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Before arriving in the Mediterranean, the itinerary included visits to Walvis Bay in Namibia, Praia in Cape Verde, Gran Canaria and Arrecife in the Canary Islands, as well as Tangier in Morocco and Barcelona in Spain.

TUI had already cancelled the first leg of Mein Schiff 4’s repositioning voyage, which was set to sail from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa in late March.

With the latest round of cancellations, all the cruises set to take place onboard the vessel from Feb. 28, 2026, to April 11, 2026, will no longer go ahead.

As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the company also cancelled the repositioning cruise forthe Mein Schiff 5 and all sailings set to take place onboard the ship between Feb. 28, 2026, and March 29, 2026.

“The primary objective now remains the safety and well-being of the remaining crew onboard the Mein Schiff 4 and the Mein Schiff 5,” TUI stated.

“In addition, the TUI Cruises crisis management team is working continuously and in close coordination with the relevant authorities, the German Foreign Office, the relevant embassies, international security experts and the security teams of its two parent companies on an ongoing assessment of the situation,” the company added, mentioning the resumption of the vessels’ regular itineraries.

In related news, Celestyal Cruises today announced the cancellation of an additional cruise itinerary in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Currently docked in Dubai, the Celestyal Discovery was initially scheduled to launch its summer season in Greece on March 20, 2026.

Six Cruise Ships Remain Stuck in the Arabian Gulf

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Six Cruise Ships Remain Stuck in the Arabian Gulf

Six cruise ships remain stuck in the Arabian Gulf after their operations in the region were halted in late February.

With the Strait of Hormuz virtually closed to international maritime traffic, the vessels are unable to leave the area and start repositioning voyages to other parts of the world.

MSC Euribia
Cruise Line: MSC Cruises

Current Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Next Scheduled Cruise Departure: May 2, 2026, from Kiel, Germany
Upcoming Itineraries: Northern Europe and Scandinavia

Docked at the port of Dubai since February 27, 2026, the MSC Euribia is scheduled to resume service in Northern Europe on May 2, 2026.

As the largest ship currently in the Arabian Gulf, the 5,400-passenger vessel is set to spend the summer offering seven-night cruises to the Norwegian Fjords departing from Germany and Denmark.

Celestyal Journey
Cruise Line: Celestyal Cruises
Current Location: Doha, Qatar
Next Scheduled Cruise Departure: April 4, 2026, from Piraeus, Greece
Upcoming Itineraries: Eastern Mediterranean and the Greek Islands

While all passengers were able to safely disembark the ship earlier this month, the Celestyal Journey remains docked in Doha, Qatar.

The 1993-built vessel is so far scheduled to embark on a repositioning voyage to Greece ahead of kicking off a series of itineraries to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greek Islands on April 4, 2026.

Celestyal Discovery
Cruise Line: Celestyal Cruises
Current Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Next Scheduled Cruise Departure: April 3, 2026, from Lavrion, Greece
Upcoming Itineraries: Eastern Mediterranean and the Greek Islands

Set to spend the summer in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Celestyal Discovery is another ship currently docked at the port of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

After having four of its sailings in Europe cancelled due to the situation, the 1,360-passenger ship is currently scheduled to welcome guests back on April 3, 2026, in Lavrion, Greece.

Mein Schiff 4
Cruise Line: TUI Cruises
Current Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Next Scheduled Cruise Departure: April 11, 2026, from Cape Town, South Africa
Upcoming Itineraries: Repositioning voyage via Africa, followed by summer in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Mein Schiff 4 from TUI Cruises is currently docked at the port of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

While the first leg of its repositioning cruise was cancelled earlier this month, the vessel is still scheduled to offer the second segment of its voyage.

Sailing from South Africa to Spain, the 20-night cruise is set to depart from Cape Town on April 11, 2026, and will be followed by a summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Mein Schiff 5
Cruise Line: TUI Cruises
Current Location: Doha, Qatar
Next Scheduled Cruise Departure: April 17, 2026, from Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Upcoming Itineraries: Eastern Mediterranean, Greek Islands and Turkey

The Mein Schiff 5 is also stranded in the Arabian Gulf after the remainder of its season in the region was cancelled in late February.

Currently docked in Doha, the 2,500-passenger ship had its repositioning voyages cancelled and is now scheduled to welcome guests back in Spain on April 17, 2026.

Aroya
Cruise Line: Aroya Cruises
Current Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Next Scheduled Cruise Departure: May 14, 2026, from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Upcoming Itineraries: Spring Season in the Red Sea followed by summer in the Eastern Mediterranean

Initially set to operate in the region between February and May, the Aroya completes the lineup of cruise ships in the Arabian Gulf.

Docked in Dubai, the Aroya Cruises vessel is slated to resume revenue service on May 14, kicking off a spring season in the Red Sea with itineraries departing from Saudi Arabia.

TUI Cancels Additional Sailings for Middle East Ships

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TUI Cancels Additional Sailings for Middle East Ships

TUI Cruises cancelled additional departures onboard two of its vessels due to the current conflicts in the Middle East.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the cancellations now include all sailings set to take place onboard the Mein Schiff 4 through March 23, 2026.

For the Mein Schiff 5, the cancellations include all the cruises scheduled to take place through March 29, 2026. TUI explained that the cancellations follow a travel and security advisory from Germany’s Foreign Office.

The company said that all affected passengers have been directly informed of the cancellations by its teams.

“Should further adjustments become necessary, we will promptly and proactively contact the booked guests,” TUI added.

“We are continuously assessing the situation and making decisions based on current official recommendations,” the statement added.

TUI noted that all guests and numerous crew members have now disembarked both the Mein Schiff 4 and the Mein Schiff 5 safely.

“The primary goal now remains to ensure the safety and well-being of the remaining crew onboard,” the company explained.

“Furthermore, our crisis team is working in close coordination with the relevant authorities, the Foreign Office, the responsible embassies, international security experts and the security teams of both parent companies on an ongoing assessment of the situation and derived scenarios,” TUI added.

The company also said it set up an information hotline for families of crew members that are still onboard the vessels in the Middle East.

The information service can be reached from Monday to Friday by phone at +800 5353 3333. TUI’s team is also available to answer questions and concerns via email at FamilyCrewHelpLine@seachefs.com.

The recent round of cancellations includes Mein Schiff 5’s repositioning voyage to Europe, which was set to depart from South Africa to Spain starting on March 29, 2026.

Sailing between Cape Town and Palma de Mallorca, the 19-night cruise was set to visit destinations in Namibia, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and the United Kingdom.

The Mein Schiff 5 is now expected to resume service in late April, ahead of a summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean.

With its Dubai – South Africa cruise previously cancelled, the Mein Schiff 4 is scheduled to welcome guests back in Cape Town for a repositioning voyage to Europe on April 11, 2026.