MS Vasco da Gama: World Cruise Aborted Due to Propulsion Failure

The damage is likely caused by the immense additional strain on the 33-year-old propulsion technology. Due to the unstable security situation in the Red Sea, the original route through the Suez Canal was cancelled, and the ship was rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope instead. The thousands of additional nautical miles along the African coast demanded continuous peak performance from the machinery. This ultimately led to the failure of the hydraulic control on the starboard propeller, making an unscheduled shipyard stay unavoidable.

For the guests, the vacation ended unexpectedly in Cape Verde. While the cruise line organized charter flights to Frankfurt for package travelers, independent travelers faced greater challenges as they initially had to coordinate their own return flights. Since the ship strictly requires a drydock for the complex repair of the propeller hub, it is currently steaming toward the Canary Islands at reduced power, likely aiming for a specialized shipyard in Portugal or Spain.

The failure has far-reaching consequences for the upcoming schedule: The segment from Málaga to Hamburg has already been cancelled without replacement. Whether the planned northern European season can start as scheduled on May 1st, 2026, from Hamburg remains highly uncertain due to tight shipyard capacities and the required transit time. Affected passengers now have extensive rights to travel price reductions and are partially considering claims for damages due to lost vacation time under German travel law.