Giant Cruise Ship "AROYA" Transits Suez Canal

The Suez Canal marked another milestone in its growing role as a global maritime tourism corridor, with the successful transit of the luxury cruise liner AROYA on Wednesday. 

The vessel, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, joined the northbound convoy as it journeyed from Istanbul, Turkey, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a scheduled stop at Egypt’s iconic Sharm El-Sheikh Port.

According to Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), the passage of AROYA is part of the canal's broader strategic effort to position itself as a key global hub for cruise tourism and maritime logistics. The cruise liner is carrying approximately 2,300 tourists of various nationalities, accompanied by a crew of over 1,500.

Stretching 335 meters in length and 38 meters in width, the AROYA has the capacity to accommodate up to 3,362 passengers and 1,620 crew members. This marks the ship’s third transit through the Suez Canal in less than a year, having previously crossed in December 2024 and June 2025.

Rabie emphasized that AROYA’s repeated transits are a strong testament to the increasing confidence of international cruise operators in the Suez Canal’s readiness and capability to accommodate large, modern cruise ships. 

He noted that the authority’s flexible and competitive marketing strategies have played a pivotal role in attracting top-tier cruise traffic to the canal. He added that the incentives offered to cruise ships, particularly those that dock at Egyptian ports along the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, have significantly contributed to this momentum.

The Suez Canal Authority’s cruise-friendly policies have already produced measurable results. Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 69 cruise ships transited the canal, carrying around 38,000 tourists. These transits generated approximately $15.8 million in revenue. 

The authority's marketing initiatives include transit fee discounts and stopover incentives, which aim to make Egypt’s ports more attractive to international cruise operators. With increased global interest in cruise travel, Egypt is positioning itself to benefit from this expanding market.

The SCA's renewed focus on cruise traffic comes amid strong growth forecasts for the global cruise tourism sector. Current projections estimate that the number of cruise passengers worldwide will reach 38 million by the end of 2025, and is expected to climb to 40 million in 2026.