Geneva/Hamburg (dpa) – Three cruise ships stranded in the Gulf because of the Iran war have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz and are on their way to Europe, the ships owners said on Saturday.

The ships include two cruise ships from the German tourism company TUI and one from the Swiss maritime firm MSC.

The ships travelled through the strait off Iran in a convoy on Saturday, an MSC spokesman said. “The passage took place in close coordination with the responsible authorities,” he said.

The TUI ships are en route to the Mediterranean, the company announced from its headquarters in Hamburg. It added that further details on the route and schedule will be provided once they are confirmed.

MSC said its ship, the “MSC Euribia” is heading towards northern Europe, with a cruise departing from Kiel in northern Germany on May 16 to take place as planned.

Iran said it closed the strait again

The United States and Iran had only just announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, but a spokesman for the headquarters of Iran’s armed forces reversed this on Saturday, according to the Fars news agency, citing the US decision to maintain its blockade on the strait.

Fars also reported that Iran was taking military action against ships in the area.

According to the maritime data service MarineTraffic, the cruise ship “Celestial Discovery” – formerly known as the “Aida aura” – on Friday was the first to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Iran war on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran.

Several cruise ships have been stranded in various ports since then, with Iran threatening to shell ships in the strait.

The “MSC Euribia” was stuck in Dubai, while the two TUI ships were in Doha. After passengers were evacuated, small crews remained on board.

Germany’s largest cruise provider Aida Cruises has no ships in the Gulf region. The cruise line decided last summer not to offer trips in the region because of the volatile situation.

Source: dpa.com