The Mein Schiff 4 came under fire as the ship fled the Persian Gulf alongside the Mein Schiff 5 and MSC Euribia on April 18. The three ships were sailing in a convoy off the coast of Oman when one of the captains reported a “splash” near the Mein Schiff 4, as reported by the highly credible United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). Wikipedia now lists the Mein Schiff 4 as one of the several dozen vessels attacked by Iran.
Three other cruise ships escaped the Persian Gulf last weekend — the Celestyal Discovery, Celestyal Journey, and Aroya.
The ships took advantage of the Strait of Hormuz being briefly reopened on April 17 following a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
Cruise Ships Escape Persian Gulf
The Celestyal Discovery was the first cruise ship to exit the Gulf, leaving from Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, April 17. Several hours later, the Celestyal Journey departed from Doha, Qatar. This was a significant operation for Celestyal Cruises as the Discovery and Journey are the only two ships in the company’s fleet.
Later that night and into the morning of Saturday, April 18, the Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5, and MSC Euribia sailed to exit the Persian Gulf. Ship tracking data shows the three ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz together on Saturday at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
The Aroya was the last cruise ship to exit the Gulf, with the ship departing port in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening and exiting the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday night.
Attack by Iran
On Saturday morning, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed and two gunboats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later opened fire on a tanker. Despite the closure and attack, the Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5, and MSC Euribia decided to continue sailing.
According to security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech, the IRGC radioed one of the cruise ships and stated “we are carrying out operation, we will fire and destroy you,” as reported by France24.
No reports confirm what caused the splash by the Mein Schiff 4, whether a missile, drone, or something else.
No injuries or damages have been reported on any of the six cruise ships leaving the Gulf.
Crew Members on Ships
Several news outlets have described the six cruise ships as “empty” because the passengers have been flown home over the past seven weeks. That characterization is misleading. Each ship retained a skeleton crew of crew members who had no choice but to remain onboard and ultimately sail through an active war zone to bring the ships home.
Those crew members were onboard when Iran fired on ships in the strait, and when the IRGC radioed threats to destroy any vessel that continued sailing.
The danger may not be over for all six ships. The Celestyal Discovery is heading for the Suez Canal, meaning it must pass by the coast of Yemen where Houthi forces have previously launched missile attacks on commercial vessels. A cruise ship caught in those waters could easily be mistaken or deliberately targeted as an enemy vessel.
The other four Europe-bound ships — Celestyal Journey, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5, and MSC Euribia — are sailing around Africa, bypassing the Red Sea entirely. The Aroya is not heading to Europe at all, sailing instead to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
We have written extensively about the dangers cruise ships face in the Middle East and how they are susceptible to terrorist attacks.
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April 21, 2026 Update:
Most cruise related websites are avoiding the story. https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ship-operations/five-gulf-stranded-cruise-ships-clear-strait-of-hormuz The U.S. media is not covering it, just newspapers in France and Germany . . .