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This is not how the holidaymakers had imagined their cruise: The escalating crisis in the Middle East has left thousands of tourists stranded on their ships in the Gulf region. US military bases in the Persian Gulf are now coming under fire from Iran, in response to the US-Israeli attacks on Saturday morning.
On the cruise ship Mein Schiff 4 of the TUI Cruises shipping company, which is currently in the harbour of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, a missile hit the water not far from the ship on Sunday afternoon, according to observers. Clouds of black smoke rose over the sea, reports the Bild newspaper.
The situation on board is said to be tense. It is not yet clear whether there are any injuries among the approximately 2,500 passengers and around 1,000 crew members. The 2,000 or so passengers were due to start their journey home to Germany from Dubai on Sunday.
Back to the ship – without luggage and fresh laundry
In addition to the Mein Schiff 4, its sister ship Mein Schiff 5 in the harbour of Doha is also affected.
Its passengers wanted to end their journey on Saturday and fly back to Germany from Doha, the capital of Qatar. Some had already taken their seats on the aircraft when the planes had to turn back. According to the passengers themselves, they waited around 10 hours at the airport before being taken back to the Mein Schiff 5 in the evening. Passengers had to leave their luggage at the airport.
Extensive security measures were taken on board: Entering the outside deck remains prohibited, all persons must stay inside the ship and also avoid windows if possible.
From time to time, warnings about incoming missiles from the Qatar Civil Defence reach passengers’ smartphones.
Air passengers are also stranded
A total of six cruise ships are currently berthed in the harbours of Port Rashid in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Other ships affected include the MSC Euribia from MSC Cruises, the Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey from Celestyal Cruises, and the Aroya from the Saudi shipping company Aroya Cruises.
Numerous countries in the region have closed their airspace, making not only shipping but also return journeys by plane impossible. Thousands of passengers are stranded and do not know when they will be able to return home.
It remains unclear when and how those stranded can be evacuated or continue their journeys.