Iran’s move to seize a British-flagged tanker in the Middle East this summer has seen P&O Cruises axe sailings in the region.
The capture of the 50,000-dwt Stena Impero (built 2018) by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards again drew the global spotlight on hostilities in the region, which had seen attacks on a number of tankers in June.
Paul Ludlow, president of P&O Cruises, said: “As a British company flying the Red Ensign it is not advisable for us to maintain our planned Dubai and Arabian Gulf program this winter season.”
The company had sailings around Dubai and the Gulf but will now withdraw the 77,000-gt Oceana (built 2003) from the region for the upcoming season, Ludlow explained.
Other shipowners and charterers have also taken action in response to growing tension in the Middle East.
Some are avoiding the area and others have been transiting the Strait of Hormuz after switching off AIS.
Carnival Corp, which owns P&O Cruises, would not say if it planned to cancel other cruises through the Strait of Hormuz.
Its Costa Cruises brand lists Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Khasab, Muscat and Salalah as ports of call or departure on its website without including actual itineraries.
Fellow US cruise majors Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line said in June that they planned to keep their itineraries for the region unchanged despite incidents.
"None of our ships is presently operating in the region, and our global security teams are closely monitoring events to assess all developments," Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Melissa Charbonneau told TradeWinds.
"The safety of our guests and crew is our foremost priority."
An email to Norwegian was not immediately returned.
A study from Bloomberg found at least 20 tankers turned off transponders while passing through the choke point in July.
