P&O axes Gulf cruises

Holidays cancelled for up to 18,000 travellers over UK tensions with Iran

P&O Cruises has cancelled trips around Dubai and the Arabian Gulf amid rising tensions between the UK and Iran.

The company’s decision to suspend 49 planned voyages starting from October until at least March will affect up to 18,000 British holidaymakers.

The move comes after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a British tanker, Stena Impero, near the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf last month. Two weeks earlier, Britain had impounded an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accusing it of violating sanctions on Syria. P&O said it had closely monitored the situation and taken external advice before abandoning the programme over safety fears and ‘uncertainty in the region’.

Sources claim between 15,000 and 18,000 customers will be affected by the 11-day trips onboard the MV Oceana being axed. The 77,000-ton liner normally sails through the Gulf between Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. An insider said: ‘In one meeting, it was made clear that executives at the top had cold feet, and had decided to cancel the voyages around the Arabian Gulf because of tensions.

‘They specifically cited the Iran crisis as the cause of the cancellation... It’s a popular holiday for P&O enthusiasts. They’re going to be disappointed’.

Customers will be issued a full refund and given the option of rebooking and sailing to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, as well as a pre-Christmas 35-night cruise to the Caribbean.

Some expressed their disappointment online over the cancellation, but others said the decision was clearly taken because of ‘understandable safety concerns’.

Paul Ludlow, P&O Cruises president, said: ‘The increased tension in the region, highlighted by the attacks on tankers in the Straits and the detention of a Britishflagged tanker by the Iranian authorities, means as a British company flying the Red Ensign it is not advisable for us to maintain our planned Dubai and Arabian Gulf programme... We have therefore taken the unusual step of withdrawing Oceana from the region for the upcoming season.

‘Whilst we appreciate our guests will be disappointed, the safety of our guests and crew is absolutely paramount and given our UK status, coupled with the uncertainty in the region, we have had to make this difficult decision.’

The MV Oceana is the fifth-largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises, and has a maximum capacity of 2,270.