Costa Cruises says it will eliminate Tunis, Tunisia, as a port of call and substitute other ports for its 2015 schedule. This follows a similar move on Thursday by MSC Cruises, which has also pulled it ships from the port.
On Wednesday, guests from Costa Fascinosa and MSC Splendida were killed or injured outside and within the Bardo National Museum in Tunis; they were taking shore excursions and getting off motorcoaches at the museum. ISIS later claimed responsibility for that attack.
Costa said the safety of guests and crew members is its top priority and represents a necessary condition for customers to have an enjoyable, serene vacation. Costa confirms that 2015 calls in Tunisia for Costa Fortuna, Costa Favolosa and Costa neoRiviera will be suspended and replaced by alternative calls as follows:
- Itineraries of Costa Fortuna from April 11 to May 15 will instead call at Barcelona, Spain
- Itineraries of Costa Favolosa from September 18 to November 20 will call at Barcelona, Spain
- Itinerary of Costa Favolosa on September 11 will call at Tarragona, Spain
- Itineraries of Costa neoRiviera from April 10 to May 12 and October 2 to November 15 (excluding November 4) will call at Trapani, Italy
- Itinerary of Costa neoRiviera on September 10 will call at Malta
Costa said it's constantly in contact with the local and international authorities to guarantee the safety of its operations and to carefully monitor the situation as it evolves.