The Aroya will serve as a floating hotel during the 20th edition of the Mediterranean Games, which will take place in Taranto.

Currently offering itineraries in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Aroya Cruises vessel will remain docked at the city in Southern Italy between late August and early September.

Over 3,500 game participants are expected to be hosted onboard the 150,000-ton vessel, including athletes, coaches, technicians and other delegates.

According to Italian media, the ship will remain alongside the Italian Navy’s Chiapparo Naval Base, providing an alternative for the games’ Athletes Village.

The Aroya will also offer meals while hosting other related events, including entertainment and participant gatherings.

The Quotidiano di Puglia said that the ship is expected to welcome guests from 26 countries, with each cabin welcoming up to two participants.

The Italian newspaper said that the organizers are believed to have paid nearly 17 million euros for the charter deal.

As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the Aroya started its second consecutive summer season in early June.

Having repositioned from the Red Sea, the 3,400-passenger ship is now offering a series of seven-night cruises from the Galataport Cruise Terminal in Istanbul.

In addition to other destinations in Turkey, the vessel’s itineraries sail to ports in Greece and Egypt, such as Piraeus, Rhodes and Alexandria.

The Aroya will return to the Red Sea in mid-September, following a repositioning voyage that sails from Istanbul to the company’s homeport of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to the Aroya, organizers are also chartering Tallink’s Romantika for the event, which will run between August 21 and September 6, 2026.

The cruise ferry will house approximately 1,200 guests, who will also use the Aroya for meals and other services.

According to Rai News, before settling for the Aroya and the Romantika, the event organizers also negotiated charter deals with Costa Cruises.