Six Cruise Ships Transit the Strait of Hormuz During U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Six cruise ships transited the Strait of Hormuz in recent days after Iran temporarily reopened the waterway to commercial traffic during a ceasefire. The vessels had been stranded in Gulf ports since late February amid heightened military tensions, according to data from MarineTraffic, a global maritime tracking platform.

Misbar’s team tracked the ships’ movements using the Playback feature on MarineTraffic. Celestyal Discovery was the first to transit, departing Port Rashid in Dubai and crossing the strait on April 17 after a roughly 47-day delay.

On April 18, four ships passed through the strait within less than an hour: Celestyal Journey, MSC Euribia, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 4.

On April 19, Aroya completed the final recorded transit among the group, continuing toward the Port of Muscat and other destinations.

Tracking data showed the vessels took a route away from Iranian waters, using the southern shipping lane along Oman’s coast near Musandam before turning into the Arabian Sea.

Celestyal Discovery

The Celestyal Discovery (IMO 9221566) is a passenger ship built in 2003 and sails under the flag of Malta.

It arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai in early March and departed at 11:36 UTC on April 17, crossing the Strait of Hormuz at 14:30 the same day.

Celestyal Journey

The Celestyal Journey (IMO 8919269) is a passenger ship built in 1994 and sails under the flag of Bermuda. It arrived at Doha Port in late February and departed on April 17, transiting the Strait of Hormuz at 10:54 UTC on April 18.

MSC Euribia

The MSC Euribia (IMO 9901544) is a passenger ship built in 2023 and sails under the flag of Malta. It arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai in late February and departed on April 18 at 01:16, crossing the Strait of Hormuz at 11:11 UTC the same day.

Mein Schiff 5

The Mein Schiff 5 (IMO 9753193) is a passenger ship built in 2016 and sails under the flag of Malta. It arrived at Doha Port on March 1 and departed on April 17 at 22:18, transiting the strait at 11:44 UTC on April 18.

Mein Schiff 4

The Mein Schiff 4 (IMO 9678408) is a passenger ship built in 2015 and sails under the flag of Malta. It arrived at Abu Dhabi Port in late February and departed at 05:27 on April 18, crossing the Strait of Hormuz at 11:46 UTC the same day.

Aroya

Aroya (IMO 9733117) is a passenger ship built in 2017 and sails under the flag of Malta. It arrived at Dammam Port in Saudi Arabia in early April and departed on April 18 at 19:21, transiting the Strait of Hormuz at 19:15 on April 19.

These cruise ship movements followed Iran’s temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic during a ceasefire period. The decision came on April 17 following ceasefire-related developments in Lebanon. Iran later closed the strait again on April 18, citing continued U.S. naval restrictions on Iranian ports, which it described as a violation of the ceasefire.

Read More

Misbar Tracks U.S. Helicopter Carrier Miguel Keith En Route to Middle East

Oil and Gas Tankers Under U.S. Sanctions Change Course After Attempt to Cross Strait of Hormuz