Cruise Ship Transits the Suez Canal Bound for Saudi Arabia

The cruise ship Aroya, which was launched by the Cruise Saudi initiative, made what has become a rare transit of the Suez Canal for ships with passengers. Like all the other segments of the shipping industry, most cruise ships began diverting away from the Red Sea in 2024 and have yet to return due to the continuing security threat from the Houthis.

The Suez Canal Authority highlighted that the 151,000 gross ton cruise ship made the transit on Wednesday, September 17, traveling from Istanbul with approximately 2,300 passengers and 1,500 crew aboard. It will be making a stop in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, before completing the cruise in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The cruise ship is scheduled to spend the first part of the winter season operating from Jeddah. In February 2026, it is scheduled to transit the Red Sea, passing Yemen, bound for Dubai. It will make the return trip in the spring of 2026 as it repositions back to the Mediterranean for summer cruises.

The ship is registered in the Marshall Islands, but its association with the Saudis is well known, who are considered to be enemies by the Houthis. The ship had previously made the Suez Canal transit in December 2024 on its pre-maiden voyage delivery run from Germany, where it was refitted for Aroya Cruises before its maiden voyage, and again in June 2025 when it repositioned into the Mediterranean for the summer season.

Built by Germany’s Meyer Werft, the cruise ship operated from 2017 till the financial collapse of Genting Hong Kong for its Dream Cruises as the World Dream. It cruised in Asia until it was laid up in March 2022. It was acquired by Cruise Saudi, which relaunched at the end of 2024 as a ship specifically designed for the Saudis and the Arab world. It has a capacity to carry over 3,300 passengers when full.

The Suez Canal Authority highlighted the transit as part of its marketing efforts to restore vessel traffic. The Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, Admiral Ossama Rabiee, highlighted the authority’s marketing efforts and toll reductions and incentives available for cruise ships. He said they have flexible marketing policies for cruise ships.

The Suez Canal had been a popular point for the cruise industry, with Rabiee highlighting that 69 cruise ships made the transit between 2021 and 2024. He said approximately 38,000 passengers had transited the Suez Canal on these ships, and it provided approximately $15.8 million in revenue for the authority.

Cruise ships, however, have continued to reposition to avoid the Red Sea dangers. Italy-based Costa Cruises announced in July that it was canceling its planned cruises from the Middle East scheduled for the winter of 2025-2026. MSC Cruises announced last week that it was canceling a planned 25-day cruise between Dubai and the UK, and it has also again rerouted its world cruise to travel around South Africa. MSC Euribia will be sailing without passengers from Germany to reposition to Dubai, where it is due to start cruising in November.

Dubai had been a popular winter homeport for cruise ships, and most world cruises transited the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal Authority, however, remains optimistic that it will be able to rebuild the cruise segment of its operations.