Arabic version: كارنيفال ستسحب سفينتين للرحلات البحرية من أستراليا

According to ABC News, Carnival Cruises will remove two of its four Australian cruise ships from March 2028, despite more than 1.4 million Australians taking a cruise last year. The company is the only major cruise operator running ships full-time in Australia.

Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa will leave the Australian fleet. Carnival Encounter and Carnival Splendor will remain. Other major operators, including Disney, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, have already withdrawn their full-time Australian ships.

Carnival said ship schedules were considered years in advance and that it was weighing “long-term certainty and globally competitive operating conditions to support itinerary planning and investment”. Country manager Peter Little said the company had “greater exposure to changes in local market and operating conditions” than other cruise lines.

Maritime historian Chris Frame described the decision as economic, saying Australia was an “end-of-the-line destination” requiring significant investment. He pointed to higher regulation, tough biosecurity rules, limited cruise infrastructure, and higher berthing, refuelling and food-provisioning costs. He said ships could be redeployed to more profitable locations.

The announcement follows an extension earlier this month of a decades-old temporary exemption that lets cruise ships circumvent Australian labour laws, with worker protections added for the first time. An ABC News investigation earlier this year reported worker allegations involving long hours, medical neglect, drinking water and wages; Carnival denied the allegations. Maritime Union of Australia representative Jake Field said Carnival’s move was a negotiating tactic and noted that 80 cruise vessels were scheduled to visit Australia.