MSC Cruises has canceled three repositioning voyages in April to avoid sailing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
The cruise line is the latest to change itineraries due to attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The attacks have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels away from the trade route and instead sail around the southern tip of Africa.
MSC Cruises has canceled the MSC Splendida's 24-day sailing from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy; MSC Opera's 21-day sailing from Dubai to Genoa, Italy; and MSC Virtuosa's 23-night sailing from Dubai to Southampton, U.K.
The ships will sail empty around Africa en route to Europe, where they will homeport for the summer season.
Affected guests can transfer to a future voyage of similar duration for free, rebook on any other cruise with a partial refund or additional payment to cover the difference, or receive a full refund.
The canceled voyages are the latest sailings affected by geopolitical conflict stemming from fighting between Gaza and Israel, which caused several cancellations in the region.
Azamara has also rescheduled sailings in light of the conflicts. The line's 2024 Israel-intensive sailings aboard the Azamara Journey have been replaced with sailings in Canada and New England in October.