Because of tensions in the Middle East, Semester at Sea, a study abroad program held on a cruise ship that travels from port to port, abruptly changed the MV World Odyssey’s itinerary to avoid the Suez Canal, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
“Within the next hour, the MV World Odyssey will change course and begin heading west,” read the company’s announcement, released Sunday. “Based on events in the last few days in the Red Sea, Israel, Gaza, and elsewhere, conversations with U.S. Embassy officials across the Middle East, as well as multiple discussions with our ship management partners, and others, we determined that a Suez Canal-Red Sea-Gulf of Aden transit is not advisable at this time.”
The revised itinerary is still being finalized but the ship will skip scheduled port stops in Oman and Dubai and instead travel down the coast of Africa, adding several stops—including in Port Louis, Mauritius—en route to a refueling stop in Cape Town.
Then it will proceed on to Asia as planned, adding one as yet unnamed stop after South Africa and visiting all the other scheduled ports with the possible exception of those in India, the announcement said.
The semester will still end in Bangkok on Dec. 22.
“While we recognize how disruptive this change will be, we’re confident it is the right one to make in light of the events of the last week and the ongoing crisis in the region,” the announcement read. “Thank you again for your flexibility, patience, and trust as we proceed together.”