Fred. Olsen to Re-route World Cruise in 2010

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has taken the decision to change the itinerary of  Balmoral’s world cruise in 2010 in order to avoid sailing through the Gulf of Aden.  The 106 night cruise, which is scheduled to sail from Dover on 5th January 2010 in a westerly direction, was due to visit ports in the Indian Ocean en route to Dubai, Oman and Egypt before transiting the Suez Canal and returning to the UK via the Mediterranean.

The new itinerary will instead cross the Indian Ocean from Fremantle in Australia and return to the UK by way of South Africa and the west coast of Africa. 

The decision to re-route Balmoral has been made in light of the continuing security problems that are being encountered in the region.  Matt Grimes, Director of Planning for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:  “We are very aware of our responsibility regarding the safety and well-being of passengers and staff on board our ships, so we have taken this step in light of the continuing piracy attacks that are being faced not only in the area around the Gulf, but ever further out from Somalia.”  He continued:  “Although our passengers will no longer visit places such as Dubai and Salalah, their cruise experience will include the breath-taking beauty of Mauritius and South Africa.  The cruise will remain unchanged at 106 nights, and Balmoral will return to Dover as scheduled on 21st April.”

Fred. Olsen currently operates a fleet of five cruise ships based mostly in the UK with itineraries to worldwide destinations.