On Wednesday, 17 cruise passengers were tragically killed during an ambush at the Bardo National Museum in the Tunisian city of Tunis. The cruise passengers were attacked upon arrival at the museum as many of them disembarked from their tour coaches. The attack also injured a number of cruise guests and took the lives of a number of locals in the area.
The Islamic State as well as a number of militant groups have already announced credit for the shocking and horrific attack. The attack has left the cruise industry and the world stunned.
Following the attack, the Cruise Lines International Association, which represents the cruise industry around the world, released the following statement:
“All of us grieve with the families and friends of the victims of yesterday’s tragic attack in Tunisia.
For many years, CLIA Member cruise lines have coordinated closely with national and international security and law enforcement authorities around the globe to help ensure passenger safety, and they will continue to do so. They also maintain a rigorous set of policies and procedures designed to safeguard passengers and to provide an immediate and effective response to any incident.
As always, CLIA will work with Member cruise lines and the authorities to assess measures that would help to provide additional passenger safety and security.
We thank the Tunisian authorities for their assistance in providing aid and medical care to the injured and their families, and we commend Costa and MSC for their efforts to render comfort and aid to their passengers.”
The attack on innocent cruise passengers by masked militants has triggered a number of cruise lines to reevaluate their Mediterranean itineraries.
MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises have both announced they will cancel all of their remaining calls for the year. Hapag-Llyod, Star Clippers, and AIDA Cruises have similarly cancelled their calls in various Tunisian ports for the remainder of the year.
A number of other cruise lines are still currently scheduled to call in Tunis or other Tunisian ports throughout the year. A number of these cruise line have already publicly stated they are monitoring the situation and will make necessary changes as needed to protect their guests, crew, and ships.
–
Cruise Currents will update this report as the situation develops in the coming weeks.
