MSC Cruises has revised the East Mediterranean itineraries for the MSC Sinfonia and MSC Musica in light of the geopolitical situation in Israel.

The MSC Sinfonia’s future eight 11-night voyages will see Haifa, Israel replaced by Istanbul in Turkey which also means Rhodes will be replaced by Piraeus, Greece and Izmir in Turkey will replace Limassol, Cyprus.

Starting on Oct. 21, the MSC Sinfonia’s new itinerary will be the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia and Messina followed by Piraeus, Izmir, Istanbul and Heraklion in Crete before the ship returns to Genoa, Italy.

The MSC Musica’s future three 7-night voyages from Piraeus, Greece will see Haifa replaced by Rhodes on Oct. 18 and 25 and Marmaris in Turkey on Nov. 1.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, “The safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority and we have worked rapidly to revise the itineraries of MSC Sinfonia and MSC Musica to offer an extremely attractive alternative for the winter months.”

The line has started the process of communication with all of its passengers and their travel agents affected by the changes.

MSC Cruises will also update its website to reflect the confirmed details of the new itineraries to provide maximum clarity for existing passengers as well as for anyone looking to book future holidays at sea in the East Mediterranean during the winter months.