Costa Cruises recently cancelled a repositioning cruise to Dubai that was scheduled to set sail onboard the Costa Smeralda in December 2024.

According to a statement sent to booked guests, the sailing is no longer going ahead due to security concerns in the Red Sea region.

“As you may have already seen in the media, the maritime traffic at this moment in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is very critical, and our Global Security Team is actively monitoring the situation in the area,” the company said.

“In light of the recent developments regarding security and future uncertainties in the area, working in close cooperation with global security experts and government authorities, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the cruise to Dubai initially planned,” Costa Cruises added.

Originally scheduled to sail from Italy on December 3, 2024, the cancelled cruise featured visits to destinations in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Departing from Genoa and Civitavecchia, the 20-night itinerary was scheduled to visit Sicily, Greece, Israel and Jordan before transiting the Red Sea.

Once in the Indian Ocean, the Costa Smeralda was set to pay visits to Salalah and Muscat, in Oman, before continuing to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the statement, guests are being offered different compensation options, which include full refunds.

Poised to offer a winter season in the Middle East, the 5,224-guest cruise ship is now expected to sail around Africa with no passengers onboard.

The Middle East program includes a series of seven-night cruises departing from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha that feature visits to destinations in the UAE, Oman, and Qatar.

Earlier this year, the Costa Toscana faced a similar situation when wrapping up its 2023-24 program in the region.

With its repositioning cruise to Europe also cancelled, the LNG-powered vessel circumnavigated the African continent on its way back to the Mediterranean.