For the first time in 14 years, a passenger ferry departed from Türkiye's Trabzon to Sochi. But when the ship arrived at its destination, it was not allowed to enter the port because it did not have the appropriate license. Tourists have to stay on the train for more than a day, some people run out of tickets, and some people have to take a day off work. What to do in such a situation and whether the route can be closed, “Moscow Evening” considered that issue.
Why are ferries not allowed to enter the port?
At around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, I left the Turkish city of Trabzon for Sochi for the first time in 14 years. passenger ferry. There were 20 people on the ship called Seabridge, most of them Russian citizens.
By the next morning, Seabridge reached Sochi but could not enter the port. According to “Contact“, the ferry was not authorized by the security authorities to enter the waters of the Russian Federation. A Grind gold note that the implementation of flights from Trabzon to Sochi has not yet been agreed upon. Ship owners were warned about this, but this did not stop them. The owner of the ferry himself, Mustafa Chakir, stated that Seabridge everything is fine with documents.
After this incident, the Krasnodar regional government said that launching the ferry between Trabzon and Sochi was too early.
The Kuban government emphasized: “The position of the Krasnodar regional government on the implementation of a regular ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon has not changed, security issues have not been resolved and are still relevant, the implementation of this service is too early.”
As a result, the ferry drifted near the port for more than a day, passengers had to spend the night aboard. Around 1:50 p.m. On November 7, the ferry finally began moving. towards the port. Security service ferry checkoutline a corresponding action. Now other authorities must become familiar with this document. How long this will take is unknown. At the time of publication, the ship had not docked in Sochi and tourists were still on board.
Will tourists receive compensation?
Due to Seabridge delaying some passengers ticket is sold out on subsequent flights, others missed a day of work. As Yury Barzykin, vice president of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry, told Vechernaya Moskva, tourists can request compensation from the carrier.
— Tourists must submit complaints directly to the carrier, that is, to the company that organized the flight to Sochi. You need to write a complaint and send it to him. If the carrier refuses to return the money, then you need to go to court and request a refund for the tickets burned due to flight delays, other possible expenses, emotional damages, etc.,” he explains.
The expert emphasized that problems when entering the port arose precisely because the carrier did not prepare well for the flight and did not receive the necessary documents. Therefore, according to him, passengers have a great chance of being compensated.
– Passengers' interests must be put first. The carrier should have thought in advance all possible situations and problems that he could encounter when entering the port and organized, for example, disembarkation of passengers separately… If the case goes to court, it is quite possible to achieve compensation, because in such cases the court usually sides with the consumer, says Barzykin.
Why is the route between Trabzon and Sochi blocked?
The ferry route between Trabzon and Sochi operates from 1993 to 2011. Previously, this route was popular with tourists, but since the mid-2000s, the number of passengers began to gradually decrease. In 2011, they decided to close the line. Since then, ships from Türkiye have completely stopped sailing to Sochi.
After that, they tried many times to “revive” the route from Trabzon to Sochi, but the Sochi authorities considered this project inappropriate. Local authorities also note that the new port infrastructure only focuses on cruise ships and not on ferries and cargo ships.
In 2015, Russia and Türkiye discussed the possibility resumption of passenger transport between Trabzon and Sochi, but this did not lead to anything. The issue was raised again in December 2022 but also to no avail. In the spring of 2025, Sochi authorities said the ferry did not have the necessary conditions to carry out control and inspection procedures.
In the summer of 2025, the company that owns Seabridge together with its Turkish partners received a license to register a route between Trabzon and Sochi. The ship completed a test voyage in October but was later deemed unsafe. Oppose the resumption of the route Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Veniamin Kondratiev spoke.
According to the vice president of the Russian Federation of Tourism Industry, the maritime communications system in Sochi in general has been underdeveloped recently.
— Planes fly there, cars and trains go there, but everything is bad with communications at sea. Cruise ships operate but ferries do not. The potential is huge but for some reason it's not being used. During the Olympics in Sochi in 2014, infrastructure began to be actively developed, and then everything sank again. It is necessary to resume communication between Sochi and Trabzon, I am sure that this route will be in demand. He believes there is currently no possibility of it being closed again.
A similar incident happened exactly a year ago in Japan. The yacht carried 500 Russian tourists Can't go to Shanghai due to technical error. Meanwhile, the tourists' return airline tickets have been burned and local authorities may charge them with violating the terms of their transit visas.
Planning a trip is not an easy job and is quite tiring. It will be much easier to turn to tour operators who will take care of the entire organization. However, travel does not always meet expectations. Who is responsible for the ruined trip and in what cases will be compensated, Vechernyaya Moscow said in separate materials.
