Bomb Threat Halts Cruise Ship Crown Iris at Greek Port of Syros
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The cruise ship Crown Iris, flying the flag of Panama and operated by Israeli shipping company Mano Maritime, was held at the port of the Greek island of Syros after an anonymous caller claimed that an explosive device had been placed on the vessel's hull. The ship was due to set sail for Haifa when the threat was received, triggering a security operation by Greek authorities.
According to Baird Maritime and Portal Portuario, the Crown Iris had 940 passengers and 597 crew members on board when the threat was received. Splash Cruise, meanwhile, reported that more than 1,500 passengers and crew were evacuated from the ship following the warning, which came from an anonymous caller claiming to have placed explosives on the hull.
Greek coast guard personnel, assisted by an explosive-detection dog and a private diver, searched the vessel, while a special coast guard unit was deployed to the scene. Initial inspections found no explosive device. Baird Maritime and Portal Portuario noted that coast guard specialists were expected to arrive at 21:30 local time (19:30 GMT) to carry out further checks before the ship could resume its voyage. Splash Cruise added that, once it was confirmed there were no explosives, passengers and crew reboarded and the cruise ship resumed its scheduled voyage to Haifa.
The incident coincided with a wave of bomb threats against at least seven flights in Europe that same Tuesday, which caused disruptions at airports without any device being found, according to all three sources.
Background
Splash Cruise recalled that the Crown Iris had previously faced pro-Palestinian demonstrations at several Greek ports, including Syros, though it clarified that no connection was established between those protests and this latest threat. The outlet also cited other similar incidents in the cruise industry, such as the evacuation of P&O Cruises' Ventura in Southampton in August 2025 and the extensive search aboard the Carnival Sunrise in January 2024, in both cases with no explosives found.
