Cruise Passengers Stranded in Gulf Ports as Iran Conflict Halts Sailings and Shuts Strait of Hormuz

The MSC Euribia sits at its berth in Dubai under tight security, with boarding suspended until further notice. It is one of at least six large cruise ships now stuck in the ports of Dubai and Doha, and the thousands of passengers aboard are in a holding pattern they did not book. The ships are not sailing, and the passengers cannot leave them.

The cause is the widening conflict involving Iran. Hostilities have shut the Strait of Hormuz, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and airspace across several Gulf states is closed. Dubai International Airport is shut after a reported Iranian strike that injured four people. Passengers who expected sunshine and cocktails have no safe corridor out of the region and no flights to take them home.

Both MSC Cruises and Celestyal Cruises have suspended sailings. Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery have had departures cancelled and are being held in regional ports. MSC has cancelled its March 7 sailing and promised full refunds. According to the travel portal Hosteltur.com, captains have activated emergency protocols, as the latent risk in the Strait of Hormuz and soaring insurance costs make sailing impossible.

The ships have effectively become floating hotels that cannot move. There are growing fears about how long food, water and supplies will last if the standstill drags on, and port services are said to be saturated, which complicates basic provisioning.

The companies describe their positions differently. A Celestyal spokesperson said that, in line with instructions from local authorities, the company cannot disembark guests. It is working with the authorities and will begin disembarkation in Dubai as soon as permission is granted. Once approved, it will help guests with transfers from the ship to Abu Dhabi Airport. Guests booked on cancelled sailings will be offered a full refund or a future cruise credit, and the company apologised for the disruption.

An MSC spokesperson said the line is following the guidance of regional U.S. military authorities to keep the ship in the port of Dubai while airspace remains closed. The spokesperson added that the situation on board is calm, and that guests and crew are comfortable and well looked after.

The wider picture is volatile. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps commander declared the strait closed, and the regime warned that any ships passing through would be set on fire, after several major blasts were reported along the key oil export route in recent days. Iran has struck across the Gulf, with attacks reported in Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and Saudi Arabia, plus exchanges of fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Monday, Donald Trump warned Tehran that the "big one" was coming and said he was not afraid to put boots on the ground if needed. He estimated the conflict would last five weeks or longer, but said US and Israeli forces were already way ahead of schedule. Later he said the time for talks was over after strikes disrupted a secret Tehran meeting to pick the next supreme leader, writing that Iran's leadership was gone and that when Iran wanted to talk, he said "Too Late!" Israel has also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.

For the people on the ships, the questions are narrow and practical: whether authorities grant permission to disembark in Dubai, how long provisions hold, and whether airspace reopens so they can fly home.