MSC Cruises cancels first Europe sailing on Euribia

MSC Cruises has cancelled MSC Euribia’s first scheduled sailing in Europe for the summer 2026 season, despite a two-week ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran on 7 April 2026, which could see the Strait of Hormuz reopen.

The first voyage of the European season was due to depart from Kiel, Germany on 2 May, but will be unable to take place as the ship’s repositioning has been delayed.

MSC Euribia has been docked in Dubai since its round-trip itinerary was interrupted when the Iran war broke out on 28 February 2026. The cruise line chartered a series of flights to repatriate stranded passengers and cancelled the four remaining seven-night sailings in the region for the season.

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In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Despite the recent developments in the Middle East, MSC Euribia is not yet able to depart the region and her repositioning to Northern Europe is therefore delayed. All guests booked on this cruise are being contacted directly with the possibility to move their booking to an alternative cruise or a full refund. MSC Cruises is focusing its efforts on returning the ship to Northern Europe as soon as possible in order to resume the planned sailings.”

MSC Cruises has also redeployed MSC World Europa away from the Middle East for the winter 2026-27 season as a result of the conflict. The World Class vessel will instead sail a series of voyages in the French Antilles.

Celestyal has two ships in the Middle East region, Celestyal Journey in Doha and Celestyal Discovery in Dubai, which are unable to relocate to start their respective Mediterranean seasons. This has resulted in cancellations of multiple voyages across both ships until the end of April 2026.

For more information, visit msccruises.com; for all the latest cruise news, bookmark connectingtravel.com/cruise