The ordeal of the Sardinian cruise passengers stranded in Dubai seemed to finally be over yesterday, but instead it dragged on again. They had to spend the sixth consecutive night in their cabins in the Emirates, where the ship is stuck amid chaos and desperation due to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The departure for Rome is expected this morning, barring further delays.
Several thousand passengers, 563 of them Italian and about fifteen Sardinians, are understandably worried about what is happening on board the MSC Euribia. They were confident they could depart yesterday morning on a charter flight from Abu Dhabi to Rome, but a last-minute delay—first to the afternoon, then to today—forced them to remain on the ship and continue awaiting repatriation. All this while, all around them, they repeatedly heard explosions and missile sounds, with the last time the siren sounded (for a prolonged period) last night.
The Sardinia Region has taken steps to monitor the situation of Sardinian cruise passengers, with President Alessandra Todde remaining in constant contact with the Italian ambassadors in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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