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Cruise ship to start delayed season in Trieste
After a journey of 27 days, the 'Mein Schiff 5' arrived in Heraklion on Crete on May 15, after previously having being stuck in the Persian Gulf. Captain Ioannis Anastasiou has been working towards the restart for several weeks. When the ship left the Middle East in April, only a minimal crew of approximately 50 people was on board. The crew's return began with a logistical port call in Cape Town and was recently completed with a stopover in Gibraltar. Operations on board should return to normal in the coming weeks. The 'Mein Schiff 4' has its restart is scheduled for May 17, 2026, to coincide with the start of Adriatic cruises from/to Trieste. It left Gibraltar on May 12.
TUI ships underway with skeleton crew
Set to welcome guests back in Europe in early May, the 'Mein Schiff 4' and 'Mein Schiff 5' were sailing with reduced staffing. Only a skeleton crew was aboard the vessels. Out of its regular 900 team members, the 'Mein Schiff 4' was sailing with only 59 crew members, who were responsible for the essential functions. While other vessels in a similar situation were repositioning to Europe through the Suez Canal, the TUI ships were sailing around Africa. The 'Mein Schiff 5' was expected in arrive at Cape Town on April 28, while the 'Mein Schiff 4' had an ETA as of April 29. The vessels were now scheduled to welcome guests back in the Eastern Mediterranean in mid-May, kicking off summer seasons in the region. Sailing from Italy, the 'Mein Schiff 4' offers itineraries to the Adriatic Sea, while the 'Mein Schiff 5' sails from Greece for itineraries to the Aegean Sea, Malta and Egypt.
Cruise ships resuming their schedules in May
On May 15, the 'Mein Schiff 5' will begin its summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean from Heraklion. Crew members were set to rejoin the 'Mein Schiff 4' and 'Mein Schiff 5' in Cape Town and Malta. On May 17, the 'Mein Schiff 4'Ä will commence operations in Trieste,, where it will be based for Adriatic cruises. Given that the voyage south around Africa takes over three weeks and also requires logistical stops, the schedule for the two TUI Cruises ships was relatively tight. The 'MSC Euribia', operated by MSC Cruises, still has a long journey ahead before it begins operations in Kiel on May 16. The ship will then start its summer season two weeks late, sailing a route to the Norwegian fjords from/to Kiel and Copenhagen. Celestyal Cruises was currently repositioning both its ships from the Middle East to the Mediterranean. Since they have switched off their AIS, it was impossible to determine whether the ships were being transferred through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal or south around Africa. The Suez Canal was last listed as the destination for the 'Celestyal Discovery', while the 'Celestyal Journey' appeared to be heading for Cape Town. All currently bookable voyages were to be operated. This would mean that the 'Celestyal Discovery' should commence operations on May 22, in Lavrion, and the 'Celestyal Journey' on May 23 in Piraeus. The last of the six cruise ships to leave the Persian Gulf was the 'Aroya,' operated by the Saudi cruise line Aroya Cruises. It was expected to arrive in Jeddah on April 27,. Before that, the ship faces another challenging passage along the Yemeni coast. If all goes according to plan, the 'Aroya' will welcome its next guests in the port of Jeddah on May 14,. Cruise ship launch dates at a glance: - May 14, 2026: Aroya (Aroya Cruises) in Jeddah; - May 15, 2026: Mein Schiff 5 (TUI Cruises) in Heraklion; - May 16, 2026: MSC Euribia (MSC Cruises) in Kiel; - May 17, 2026: Mein Schiff 4 (TUI Cruises) in Trieste; - May 22, 2026: Celestyal Discovery in Lavrion/Athens; - May 23, 2026: Celestyal Journey in Piraeus/Athens.
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