Cruise giant forced to change itinerary after Red Sea attacks

One of the world’s biggest cruise companies has been forced to reroute its around the world trips because of attacks in the Red Sea.

Florida-based cruise giant Carnival has changed the itineraries for 12 of its ships following attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on shipping vessels in the region.

Carnival ships being diverted include ones operated by P&O Ferries. The company has confirmed that its Arcadia ship will change course on its world cruise after stops including Singapore and take passengers home via the southern coast of Africa instead of through the Suez Canal.

P&O offers around the world cruises departing from Southampton that tour the Middle East, including stops in Dubai, Oman and Egypt, before passing through the Suez Canal in the Red Sea to reach the Mediterranean. Tickets for its 53-night “Western Circumnavigation” cruise start from £9,819 per person.

Passengers scheduled to go on trips such as these had grown increasingly nervous in recent weeks following months of drone and missile attacks by Houthi militants protesting Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

One frustrated customer wrote to The Telegraph earlier this month saying he had not had a clear response on whether the trip he booked for his 60th birthday would be cancelled, cut short or rerouted.

Prior to announcing plans to avoid the Red Sea, P&O Ferries had advertised transit through the Suez Canal as a selling point on its voyages.

It said on its website: “As the ship goes through the Suez Canal, guests can be out on deck throughout the transit, as it is one of the world’s most fascinating maritime experiences, creating the bizarre impression that they are sailing right through the dry heart of the desert.”

Carnival is the latest company to divert its ships as a result of rising tensions in the region. The boss of shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd warned last week that trade disruptions from the Red Sea crisis could last for months even after the conflict has been resolved.

The Royal Navy has been patrolling the Red Sea alongside the US Navy in an effort to ensure the safe passage of ships. The British Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that HMS Diamond had to shoot down a drone attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.