For the first time since Operation "Protective Edge", a cruise ship called at Ashdod port.
Due to violence in Israel, which escalated in August, some cruise lines with upcoming port calls changed their itineraries to avoid stopping in Israel.
The first cruise vessel to call is a Celebrity Cruise Lines vessel "Celebrity Silhouette" with 2,860 passengers and 1,250 staff on board. The vessel arrived from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, via Rhodes, Greece, and stayed at Ashdod for two days.
More passenger cruise vessels are due to call Ashdod in the coming weeks.
The cruise port of Ashdod is more than 3 kilometers northwest of the city. Ashdod is the largest port in Israel, also known as the "gate to Jerusalem".
