Semester at Sea has been closely monitoring the current situation in Turkey, along its Syrian border, while staying in contact with the U.S. State Department and our security partners for the latest updates on the situation.
While no incidents have occurred in our port stop of Istanbul, nor has a travel warning been issued specifically targeting Istanbul, out of an abundance of caution for the safety and security of our Semester at Sea participants, the Fall 2015 voyage will not visit Istanbul, Turkey as originally planned.
In lieu of Istanbul, the Fall 2015 voyage will now visit the port of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The call on Dubrovnik, a long-time port for Semester at Sea, was selected based on safety and security, excellent integration to the academic program, and operational feasibility. The ship will dock in Dubrovnik from September 29 to October 3. The itinerary port change will not impact the academic calendar.
While Croatia has been in the news recently regarding Syrian refugee travel, the port city of Dubrovnik is quite far south and out of the route of those who seek passage to Germany through northern parts of Croatia and Slovenia. Our field program will not have offerings that are in the region of refugees’ travel.
Fall 2015 participants who have purchased field programs in Turkey will be reimbursed to their shipboard accounts. Participants will have the opportunity to register for field programs in Croatia following the ship’s departure from Naples, Italy on September 24. Student field labs in Turkey will be re-established in later ports in collaboration with faculty. Additional registration information and field program offerings will be provided to the shipboard community.
In the meantime, please let us know if you have any urgent questions. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
