Marella Cruises has cancelled a series of repositioning sailings on its ship Discovery 2 to avoid the Red Sea area.

Passengers booked on cruises next month have been notified their cruise has been cancelled and have been offered the option to rebook at a 10% discount or get a refund.

Discovery 2 is currently operating a series of Far East cruises, from Singapore.

After that, repositioning cruises through the Red Sea have been cancelled, as has a Limassol to Palma, Majorca cruise on 1 May.

The earliest departure on the Marella website is now a ‘Highlights of the Mediterranean’ round-trip from Palma on 7 May.

In an email to customers, TUI said: “Due to on-going conflict in the Red Sea area, we have been looking at alternative routes for sailing from Singapore to Palma. Sadly, we have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to cancel your cruise.

“The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.”

TUI is offering 10% off a new cruise or a full refund, including on any excursions. The 10% discount is on offer for people who re-book by 16 March.

A Marella Cruises spokesperson said: “We can confirm that due to the on-going conflict in the Red Sea area we have made the difficult decision to cancel ‘Eastern Flavours 1 and 2’, ‘Arabian Sunrise 1 and 2’, ‘Red Sea Sights 1 and 2’, ‘Ancient Discovery 1 and 2’ and ‘Ancient Escape’ on Marella Discovery 2 between 4 April 2024 – 1 May 2024 inclusive, for the safety of our customers and crew.

“We appreciate how disappointing this news will be. All impacted customers will be contacted by their booking agent to discuss the options available to them, which including being able to rebook with a 10% booking incentive or receive a full refund.”