At least two cruise lines have said they will reroute itineraries in the Middle East to avoid the Red Sea and Yemen area, where several shipping vessels have been attacked by Houthi militants in recent weeks, according to reports.
Silversea will change the itinerary of the Silver Moon, turning the 10-day sailing, which began Jan. 6 in Aqaba, Jordan, and was bound for Muscat, Oman, into a roundtrip sailing, according to a spokesman for parent company Royal Caribbean Group. Guests will now disembark in Aqaba at the end of the cruise, and the cruise company is in the process of changing return flights for guests.
Royal Caribbean Group's global security team continues to monitor the situation, the spokesman said.
Silversea did not comment about the status of subsequent sailings.
MSC Cruises has also decided to reroute one of its ships. The MSC Poesia is on a 115-day world cruise from Rome that departed on Jan. 4. The ship was scheduled to cross through the Suez Canal on Jan. 16, but a spokeswoman said the line will amend the route for the first part of the cruise and circumnavigate Africa instead of passing through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The later parts of the itinerary will remain unchanged, she said.
The spokeswoman did not immediately answer questions about when the ship will change course from its original itinerary.
Other cruise lines have taken a wait-and-see approach, since their ships are not yet in the region. Spring is a busier time for cruise ships in the Suez Canal.
The attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have led several shipping giants to avoid passing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a key shortcut between Asia and Europe, according to the New York Times. The report quoted an analysis from logistics technology company Flexport that said at least 389 container vessels are taking the long route around Africa.