Five cruise ships stranded in Gulf ports since the outbreak of the Iran conflict have now cleared the Strait of Hormuz, taking advantage of a brief reopening of the waterway before Tehran reimposed tighter controls, according to industry reports, cruise media and Reuters reporting on the wider shipping situation.  

The Greek-owned Celestyal Discovery was the first to make the passage, leaving Dubai on Friday and sailing close to the Omani side of the strait, industry reports said. Its transit came after weeks of disruption that left multiple cruise vessels unable to reposition from the Gulf to the Mediterranean for their summer programmes.  

The move was followed by Celestyal Journey, MSC Euribia, and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5, all of which were reported to have passed through the strait by Saturday.  

MSC said Euribia had departed Dubai, had “safely transited the strait” and was heading to Northern Europe, while TUI said its two ships had also made the crossing safely after coordination with the relevant authorities.  

The crossings came during a narrow window after Iran said on April 17 that the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial traffic during the ceasefire period.  

Reuters reported, however, that shipowners remained cautious and sought further clarification before resuming normal transit, with tracking data showing some vessels initially turning back.  

That caution appears to have been justified. By the weekend, Iran had again tightened control over the waterway, according to industry reports, underlining the continuing fragility of traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.  

For cruise operators, the successful passages marked an important step in restoring deployment plans after weeks of cancellations.  

Celestyal had already said on March 30 that it was cancelling all April departures because it had been unable to reposition Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey back to the Mediterranean, with the next planned sailings set for early May.  

According to specialist cruise and shipping outlets, one vessel, Aroya Manara, initially appeared to remain inside the Gulf after the other five ships had exited.  

Since the weekend, meanwhile, the situation deteriorated further. Reuters reported that as of Monday, April 20, the fragile ceasefire was now on the brink of collapse, following the US seizure of an Iranian cargo ship that attempted to bypass the blockade.

In response, Iran has vowed to retaliate against what it terms “armed piracy” and has officially rejected a second round of peace negotiations, warning that regional security cannot be guaranteed while its oil exports remain restricted.