Royal Caribbean has canceled cruise ship stops to a private area in Haiti as the nation faces ongoing violence and rising political uncertainty.
The Miami-based cruise company, which has a resort in Haiti called Labadee, said Thursday that it has suspended stops there for the next several days.
Passengers and crew haven’t faced violence or threats, and the move is a preventive measure, the company said.
“We have not had any security concerns; this was done out of abundance of caution,” Jonathon Fishman, director of corporate and incident communications for The Royal Caribbean Group, said in a statement sent to the Miami Herald on Thursday.
Over the past several weeks, Haiti has faced a new phase of civil unrest as gangs unleashed havoc, blocked airports and shut down the main port, making it difficult for needed supplies to reach Haitians. Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced he would resign from his post. He had backed a plan for a presidential council that would select the country’s next leader, but other Haitian political leaders rejected that plan, creating more uncertainty.
Royal Caribbean said that its global security and intel team is closely monitoring the situation in Haiti, and that “we are temporarily making adjustments to sailings visiting Labadee.”
Labadee is a resort in the north of Haiti, far from the gang violence and civil unrest in major cities Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince. The resort is fenced and has its own security.
Haiti maintains sovereignty over Labadee, but leased it to Royal Caribbean in 1985 for its exclusive use as a resort for cruise passengers.
The ships affected by the carrier’s decision to suspend all calls to Labadee are the following, according to the company:
—Oasis of the Seas – 3/10 and 3/17 sailings
—Symphony of the Seas – 3/9 and 3/17 sailings
—Adventure of the Seas – 3/15 sailing
—Mariner of the Seas – 3/16 sailing
—Explorer of the Seas – 3/17 sailing
—Grandeur of the Seas – 3/18 sailing
“We will continue to monitor and reassess calls as needed, and will communicate updates with guests directly,” the company said.
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