Universe met the students for the final leg of the voyage to Hong Kong. 1997's fall voyage was rerouted due to terrorism concerns. Ramzi Yousef was convicted of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing on November 12 of that year, and the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for American citizens in the Middle East. The Luxor massacre occurred five days later, while the ship was docked in Port Said and the students were in Egypt. Although no students were involved, fears of terrorism resulted in the removal of the next two ports (Israel and Turkey) from the itinerary and the ship was rerouted to Cyprus and Spain. 2000–2009 Two incidents occurred during the fall 2000 semester on the SS Universe Explorer. Entering Vietnam, the ship was struck by a barge; its hull was damaged, and student rooms were closed. The Universe Explorer remained an extra day in Vietnam for repairs. Preparing to head north through the Suez Canal to Egypt, Turkey, Croatia, and Spain, the ship's captain decided to reroute due to threats to ships in the Suez region; the voyage instead stopped in Kenya, South Africa, and Brazil. After the September 11 attacks, the Universe Explorer was redirected after its stop in Kobe. The planned route – from Penang and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal to ports in Egypt and Croatia – was changed by the U.S. State Department to include Singapore, Seychelles, and Cape Town. On the Indian Ocean, the ship's communication with other vessels was limited to protect the American citizens on board. On January 26, 2005, the MV Explorer weathered a combination of three storms in the North Pacific. A freak wave smashed the windows of the bridge, breaking one of them and briefly affecting the ship's navigation systems. The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a Lockheed HC-130 search-and-rescue plane and two cutters after receiving a distress call from the ship. Two crew members were injured during the incident. While the ship was repaired in Honolulu, the students were flown to Hong Kong to continue their courses. The Explorer rejoined them in Ho Chi Minh City, and completed the semester. Later that year, safety concerns were cited by the University of Pittsburgh for ending its 24-year academic sponsorship of the program. 2005's summer voyage was rerouted from London to Le Havre due to safety concerns after the July 7 London bombings. During