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Sea Bridge Ferry Waits Off Sochi as Krasnodar Officials Question Safety

Twenty passengers remain on board during the first attempt to revive the route after a 14-year pause.

Overview

  • The vessel departed Trabzon on November 5 and has been anchored off Sochi since the morning of November 6 awaiting inspection and permission to enter the port.
  • The ferry is carrying 20 passengers, including 18 Russian citizens and 2 Turkish citizens who purchased tickets individually.
  • The operator says all documentation is complete, the call was cleared by port and control services, and the route is registered with the Transport Ministry as a year-round service through 2027.
  • The Krasnodar Krai administration says its position is unchanged, citing unresolved safety issues and calling the launch premature.
  • The company says passengers are being provided three meals a day and cabins and will receive free one-way passage back to Trabzon as compensation, adding that naval exercises prevented docking on November 6.