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2000 stranded Israelis back in Ashdod
The'Crown Iris' bringing stranded Israelis back from Cyprus, in coordination with the Transportation Ministry, has arrived in Asdod on the morning of June 20. Some 2,000 passengers were on the ship for its voyage from Limassol ito southern Israel, The Transportation Minister Miri Regev, alongside Transportation Ministry director general Moshe Ben Zaken, Ashdod port chairman Shaul Schneider, and other officials, welcomed the returnees upon their arrival at the port. About 50 buses and minibuses were waiting at the port to take arriving passengers free of charge to the Ashdod train station, and to Beersheba, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. The repatriation operations were ongoing, subject to the approval of defense officials to maintain the safety of passengers. Reports with photo and video: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/first-cruise-ship-carrying-stranded-israelis-back-from-cyprus-docks-in-ashdod/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410356
About 1,500 young adults participating in heritage trips to Israel have been evacuated to Larnaca
About 1,500 young adults participating in heritage trips to Israel have been evacuated to Cyprus by the 'Crown Iris', which is operated by Israeli-based Mano Maritime. The ship arrived in Larnaca on June 17, 2025, carrying approximately 1,500 participants of Birthright Israel. The 13-hour journey from Ashdod Port, south of Tel Aviv, was escorted across the Mediterranean by the Israeli navy. Birthright Israel, an organization partially funded by the Israeli government, offers free 10-day “heritage trips” to Israel for Jewish young adults aged 18 to 26. About 2,800 international participants in the program, mostly from the United States, had found themselves stranded in Israel since the morning of June 13, when the conflict with Iran began. Birthright Israel is covering all transportation costs for these evacuations. The Florida Governor Ron DeSantis chartered four wide-body planes to fly all evacuated U.S. participants from Larnaca directly to Tampa, Florida.The evacuation efforts, both by air and sea, were ongoing for the remaining international participants in the country. Report with photo and video: https://cruisefever.net/cruise-ship-evacuates-1500-young-adults-mostly-us-citizens-from-israel/
Israeli passengers franferred from MSC Musica
With the full-scale conflict under way in Gaza, cruise lines have suspended port calls in Israel's Mediterranean ports for at least several weeks. On the 'MSC Musica', this security-driven consideration left hundreds of Israeli nationals at sea, far from home, until the operator chartered the Israeli-owned cruise ship 'Crown Iris' to take them back. The 'MSC Musica' is home-based in Haifa, serving the Israeli market with cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean. On Oct 5, the vessel got under way, bound for Limassol and Mikonos on her regular rotation. When Hamas terrorists broke through Israeli border defenses and attacked civilian settlements on Oct 7, the 'MSC Musica' was under way off Rhodes, and called at Mikonos as expected; however, MSC decided that under the circumstances, she would not be returning to Israel. Instead, the 'MSC Musica's itinerary would be cut short and Israeli passengers would be transferred to another vessel at Limassol. MSC chartered the cruise ship 'Crown Iris' from an Israeli operator, Mano Maritime, to return the 800 Israeli passengers from the 'MSC Musica' to Haifa. On Oct 10, both vessels berthed in Limassol and carried out the passenger transfer. All passengers were back in Haifa on Oct 11, and MSC covered all related costs. MSC has suspended port calls in Israel through the end of the month, and the 'MSC Musica', unable to return to Haifa, has moored in Thira on Oct 16.
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