Ferry from Türkiye remains off Sochi coast amid delays in port clearance

The Sea Bridge ferry traveling from Trabzon, Türkiye, has remained off the coast of Sochi, Russia, for three days while awaiting permission to dock at the resort city’s seaport.

The vessel continues to anchor in the inner harbor, according to Sergey Turkmenyan, CEO of SVS Shipping, the company that operates the route, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media. 

The ferry departed Trabzon at 21:40 on November 5 and arrived off Sochi on the morning of November 6, pending approval to enter the port. On board are 20 passengers, including two Turkish nationals and 18 Russian citizens, who purchased tickets privately.

By noon on  November 7, Turkmenyan reported that the ferry had received authorisation to enter Russian internal waters, and its inspection had been completed by 17:00. Although authorities initially expected passengers to disembark and the vessel to depart on its return journey at around 23:00, this did not occur.

Turkmenyan explained that the ferry remained at anchor while waiting for local authorities in Krasnodar to review the inspection report and grant permission to enter the port. He added that passengers were being provided with food and water, and that conditions on board remained calm.

The SVS Shipping CEO indicated that the issue of port clearance could potentially be resolved by the evening of November 8.

By Sabina Mammadli