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

At least six large cruise ships are sitting in port in Dubai and Doha, and the thousands of passengers aboard them cannot get off. The vessels were meant to carry holidaymakers through Gulf waters. Instead they are held in place after the conflict involving Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and shut airspace across several Gulf states.

The cruise lines have stopped sailings. MSC's Euribia remains docked in Dubai under strict security, with embarkations halted until further notice. Celestyal Cruises has cancelled departures for the Celestyal Journey and the Celestyal Discovery, and both are being held in regional ports. According to the travel portal Hosteltur.com, captains have activated emergency protocols, citing what it called the latent risk in the Strait of Hormuz and insurance costs that have climbed too high to make sailing workable.

Getting home is not simple either. Dubai International Airport is closed after a reported Iranian strike that injured four people, and no safe corridors are open for travelers. The ships have in effect become floating hotels that cannot move.

The Sun reports growing fears over how long food, water and supplies will last if the standstill continues. Port services are said to be saturated, which complicates basic provisioning. The report does not give figures for onboard stocks, and it does not say how many crew members are aboard alongside the passengers.

Celestyal said that, following instructions from local authorities, it cannot currently disembark guests. It says it is working with those authorities and will begin disembarkation in Dubai as soon as permission is granted. Once that happens, it plans to help guests with transfers 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.

MSC said it is following guidance from regional U.S. military authorities to keep the ship in the port of Dubai while airspace remains closed. The company described the situation on board as calm, with guests and crew comfortable and well looked after. It has cancelled its March 7 sailing and promised full refunds.

The backdrop is a widening war. Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the commander of its Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that ships attempting to pass would be set on fire. That followed reports of several major blasts along the oil export route in recent days. Iranian attacks have been reported in Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and Saudi Arabia, along with exchanges of fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Monday, Donald Trump said the "big one" was coming, that he would not hesitate to put boots on the ground if needed, and that the conflict could last five weeks or longer. He said US and Israeli forces were already well ahead of schedule. Later, he said time for talks was over after strikes hit a secret Tehran meeting to choose the next supreme leader. Israel has also begun a ground invasion of Lebanon.

For the people aboard, the questions are practical ones: whether authorities grant permission to disembark, whether airspace reopens, and whether supplies hold at crowded ports.