Registry
Does MSC Cruises support Israel?
Yes — MSC Cruises has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Hotels & travel companies · Companies that support Israel
Background
MSC Cruises is the cruise arm of the privately held, Geneva-based MSC Group controlled by the Aponte family. Its Israel record is operational, not philanthropic: a real Haifa homeport business selling to Israeli passengers, a paid-for repatriation of roughly 800 Israelis stranded at sea in the first week of the war, and then a safety-driven suspension of Haifa sailings that has run far longer than the initial announcements. Because MSC is private and Swiss-Italian, the usual paper trail does not exist — no SEC filings, no US foundation 990, no federal PAC — so the evidence here rests on MSC's own Israeli-market notices and press releases plus cruise trade reporting. No cash donation by MSC Cruises to an Israeli organisation was found.
MSC Cruises Israel — updates page Cruise Critic
Timeline of documented support
Documented support
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations in Israel | 2023 | — | Port of Haifa / Israeli cruise market MSC Cruises ran a Haifa homeport operation for the Israeli market, with MSC Musica and MSC Sinfonia sailing scheduled departures out of Haifa in 2023 — MSC Musica left Haifa on 5 October 2023, two days before the Hamas attack. The line maintains a dedicated Israeli sales arm (msccruises.co.il) and sells Haifa as a destination port on its international sites. This is a commercial operation serving Israeli passengers, run by MSC's own ships and crew rather than by a local agent. | |
| In-kind support | 2023-10-11 | — | Approximately 800 Israeli passengers stranded aboard MSC Musica MSC Musica had left Haifa on 5 October 2023 and was at sea when the war began. MSC diverted the ship straight to Cyprus, dropping the remaining Mediterranean calls, and chartered the Israeli vessel Crown Iris from Mano Maritime to carry roughly 800 Israeli passengers directly home. MSC announced that the operation ended at about 09:00 on Wednesday 11 October 2023 with all passengers safely landed in Haifa, and publicly thanked Mano Maritime for its help. MSC paid for and organised the repatriation; the ship used was Mano Maritime's, not MSC's. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2023-10 | — | MSC passengers booked on Haifa and Red Sea sailings MSC then wound its Israel operation down on safety grounds: from 8 October 2023 it waived cancellation fees for departures in the following week, on 10 October it cancelled all MSC Musica and MSC Sinfonia departures from Haifa through 26 October, and on 17 October it extended the cancellation of Haifa departures through 13 January 2024. MSC Sinfonia's onward eleven-night voyages replaced Haifa with Istanbul. On 23 October 2023 it also cancelled the entire 2023-24 winter Red Sea season of MSC Orchestra and MSC Sinfonia, citing the situation in Israel and the surrounding region. Trade press recorded MSC as the first line to cancel over Red Sea shipping attacks and, in 2026, as one of several lines dropping the Middle East season entirely. The withdrawal was framed as passenger safety, not as a political boycott of Israel. |
Frequently asked questions
Did MSC Cruises donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of cash donations, but MSC Cruises has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel, In-kind support). See the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 4 distinct sources are cited for MSC Cruises. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-07-30
- MSC Cruises Israel — updates page msccruises.co.il
- MSC Cruises — Haifa (Jerusalem) destination page msccruises.com
- MSC Cruises press area — MSC Sinfonia and MSC Musica itinerary revisions mscpressarea.com
- Cruise Critic cruisecritic.com