MSC Euribia is Back on the Map: Red Sea Route Confirmed

I’ve been refreshing the cruise map for MSC Euribia every day for the past 5 days.  It’s been “off the radar” so to speak since the dramatic crossing of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 18.

The “dark” period wasn’t really unexpected. While the Strait of Hormuz was the first major obstacle, the transit into the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait was another concern for the crew.

Turning off the AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponder was a standard tactical move to reduce the ship’s digital footprint while passing through these waters.

But today, MSC Euribia is trackable once again and its heading is confirmed.

The Timeline

The captain of MSC Euribia made a powerful and emotional social media post after clearing the Strait of Hormuz, explaining what it was like in the moment.  In retrospect, the window that six cruise ships took advantage of to cross through this volatile channel is really incredible.

Here is a timeline for the MSC ship that began almost a week ago.

• April 17, 2026: Departure from Dubai – The ship cleared Port Rashid to begin its massive repositioning voyage.
• April 18, 2026: The Strait of Hormuz – Euribia successfully navigated the first major chokepoint of the trip.
• April 18–22: The “Dark” Period – AIS was disabled for security as the ship transited the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
• April 23, 2026: Red Sea Reappearance – The ship is officially back on the radar, cruising at around 16 knots toward the Suez Canal.

Ships Clear the Persian Gulf

Euribia isn’t the only ship that made its move out of the Persian Gulf. A brief ceasefire window allowed a total of six cruise ships that had been stranded in the Persian Gulf since February to finally leave their ports.

Joining Euribia in repositioning sailings are:

• Celestyal Discovery & Celestyal Journey: Both cleared the Strait of Hormuz on April 17/18.  Discovery is aiming for a May 1 restart in Lavrion for its Greek Islands sailings.
• Mein Schiff 4 & Mein Schiff 5: TUI’s vessels departed from Abu Dhabi and Doha, respectively, and are now moving toward the Mediterranean, both looking to sail around South Africa before heading North.  Last check has them sailing close together, just East of Tanzania
• Aroya Manara: The final ship to clear the Strait on April 19, now heading toward the Gulf of Aden.

Looking Ahead

The best part of this development? The summer season is officially back on track. Because the ship made better time than initially feared, MSC Cruises has reinstated the sailings that were previously cancelled.

• May 16, 2026: MSC Euribia will resume its Northern Europe program with a 7-night sailing from Kiel, Germany (current prices on MSC’s website start at $486 per person).
• May 17, 2026: The ship will begin its round-trip rotations from Copenhagen, Denmark.

The ship is currently covering an 8,300-mile repositioning voyage. Once it clears the Suez Canal, it will head through the Mediterranean and around the Iberian Peninsula to reach its summer home in the Baltics.

If you were one of the guests whose mid-May sailings were in limbo, check your email. MSC is now reaching out to confirm that these voyages will proceed as planned.