Cruise Ships Trapped In Hormuz Rush To Exit After A Brief Opening Of The Waterway

Cruise ships stranded in the Persian Gulf region raced to escape the Hormuz Strait when it opened briefly over the weekend.

According to travel operator TUI Cruises, two of its ships, the Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5, were able to transit the strait by afternoon.

They could pass through after the company received approval from the Iranian authorities.

The two cruise ships crossed the waterway with the crew onboard after passengers had already disembarked in March.

They are now in safe waters and heading towards the Mediterranean, the company website reads.

Total 4 cruise ships crossed the volatile waters just 45 minutes apart, remaining close to the Omani shores as they rounded the tip of the Musandam Peninsula.

MSC Euribia, operated by MSC Cruises, passed through Hormuz after leaving Dubai. It is now sailing towards Northern Europe and is set to depart from the German port of Kiel on May 16 and Copenhagen on May 17, as originally planned, the company stated.

Two other vessels, namely, the Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery, owned by Cyprus-based Louis Plc, also transited safely.

The ships crossed the waterway after Iran declared that Hormuz was open to maritime traffic on Friday.

However, it reversed the decision in less than a day after U.S refused to lift its blockade of Iranian ports in the region.