Cruise ships are often associated with relaxation, but in critical situations they can serve more important functions.
A cruise ship has evacuated American students who were stranded in Israel due to the worsening situation in that country.
This is stated in the article by thestreet.
In June 2025, there were about 1,800 American students in Israel participating in a Birthright program to learn about Jewish culture and history. But the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran created an urgent need to evacuate. The airspace over the country was closed, making a mass evacuation difficult.
An Israeli cruise line has loaned its ship Crown Iris to the country's Transport Ministry.
The article notes that Crown Iris is a cruise liner designed for more than 1,700 passengers. The ship has 750 cabins. And its home port is Haifa.
“On June 17, not only students but also other citizens who needed evacuation boarded the ship and headed to a safer place – the island of Cyprus. There, the evacuees were able to organize their return home. According to a government spokesman, the United States and the state of Florida organized charter flights to return people from Cyprus,” the statement said.
After successfully evacuating the students, Crown Iris headed back on June 18 to transport Israelis stranded in Cyprus due to air travel restrictions.
It should be noted that, according to international maritime law, all sea vessels, from cruise ships to cargo ships, are obliged to assist other vessels or people in danger at sea.
Let us recall that on June 24, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense organized the evacuation of 31 Ukrainian citizens from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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