Lesley Ballantyne woke in the early hours to an emergency alert flashing on her phone: “Potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building.”
Her husband, Alistair, seemed to have slept through it. Ballantyne got out of bed and peered through the cabin window. Outside, nothing but darkness — and the illuminated lights of Dubai port.
That was Sunday.
Two days later, Ballantyne was still aboard the MSC Euribia, a 331-meter, 19-deck cruise ship berthed in Dubai.
The Euribia is one of a number of vessels currently unable to depart the Middle East because of the escalating Iran conflict. For thousands of passengers and crew,…