A cruise ship with a capacity for over 2,500 passengers is eerily quiet today, as it sits in Abu Dhabi, waiting for the smoke to clear in the Middle East.
With all the passengers gone, reports are now stating that only 59 crew members are left on board to keep everything operational.
Mein Schiff 4, operated by German-based TUI Cruises, is one of at least six major cruise ships currently trapped in the Persian Gulf. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial traffic due to regional conflict, these floating resorts have nowhere to go, at least for now.
From 1,000 Crew to Just 59
According to recent reports from Vessel Tracker, TUI Cruises has temporarily reduced the crew on Mein Schiff 4 to a minimum of just 59 people.
For a ship that typically requires over 1,000 crew members to operate at full capacity, this “skeleton crew” equals almost a 95% reduction. Of course, with no passengers on board many guest-service related jobs on a cruise ship are not currently needed.
Vessel Tracker stated that the ship is currently “temporarily laid up” at the Abu Dhabi cruise port:
“The nautical and technical crew, led by Captain Jan Fortun, remained on board, ready to depart as soon as a safe window for transiting the Strait of Hormuz opens. No one currently knew when this might be.”
Last Ones Left After Repatriation
The 59 crew members remaining on board are the only ones left after a huge evacuation mission took place for all of the passengers and much of the crew.
TUI Group recently confirmed that they have successfully flown thousands of guests and staff out of the high-risk zone using a fleet of charter aircraft.
In an official statement, TUI Group mentioned the sheer scale of the operation:
“In addition to its customers, TUI has also brought home approximately 1,500 crew members of the Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5. Only a small crew has remained on the ships to handle essential tasks until it becomes possible to safely navigate the ships through the Strait of Hormuz..”
TUI also mentioned repatriating almost 10,000 guests “via twelve TUI Airline flights and 26 charter flights organized by TUI”.
The Other Ships
Mein Schiff 4 is not alone in this. As the conflict continues to block the only exit from the Gulf, at least five other major cruise ships remain “trapped” in nearby ports:
- MSC Euribia (Dubai)
- Mein Schiff 5 (Doha)
- Celestyal Discovery (Dubai)
- Celestyal Journey (Doha)
- Aroya Manara (Dubai)
The Path Ahead
The remaining crew members are most likely engineers and deck officers that are tasked with keeping the ship’s critical systems alive so it can leave the region the moment a “safe window” appears.
Also, some crew members likely had to stay behind to help assist in a supporting role and for basic maintenance needs.
TUI has officially canceled Mein Schiff 4’s April 11 repositioning voyage from Cape Town, and while a May 1 departure from Mallorca remains on the schedule for now, it would not be surprising to see it canceled as well
Until the smoke clears, Captain Jan Fortun and his 58 crew remain the only residents on a billion-dollar “ghost ship”.
It might sound like a vacation, but when only a few dozen people are tasked with taking care of a 99,526 gross ton ship, there probably isn’t as much down time as you might think.
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