Costa Cruises is cancelling a repositioning voyage that was scheduled to sail through the Red Sea onboard the Costa Toscana. Sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Italy, the 19-night cruise was set to depart on March 9, 2024.

“As you can well understand, the critical situation that is currently affecting the maritime traffic along the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is constantly being monitored with the maximum attention,” Costa said in a statement sent to booked guests.

“As always, the security and well-being of our guests and crew is our foremost priority, and on this direction no uncertainty and compromise can be accepted,” the company continued.

“Given recent developments on the security environment and future uncertainties in the area, working in close consultation with global security experts and government authorities, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the cruise that was originally planned,” Costa explained.

After leaving from Dubai, the Costa Toscana was set to visit additional destinations in the United Arab Emirates and Oman before continuing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

The itinerary also included visits to Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Italy prior to concluding in Costa’s cruise terminal in Savona.

Affected guests will be able to choose from a number of options, which include transferring their reservations to any repositioning or transatlantic cruise departing by December 2024.

Passengers will also be able to request Future Cruise Credit (FCCs) for the amounts paid or cancel their reservations and receive full refunds.

In some cases, Costa is offering up to 200 euros of non-refundable onboard credit per cabin.

With the repositioning cruise cancelled, the Costa Toscana is expected to circum-navigate Africa on its way to Europe.

Starting in April, the LNG-powered ship is set to offer a series of week-long cruises to the Western Mediterranean that feature visits to ports in Italy, France and Spain.