A ferry from Trabzon awaits entry into the port of Sochi.

The Sea Bridge ferry, which departed Trabzon on the evening of November 5th with 20 passengers on board, has been awaiting entry into the port of Sochi since the morning, but has not yet received permission to enter Russian territory.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," the resumption of ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon was fully coordinated with federal and port authorities, the transportation organizer stated, calling the statement by Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev about the "inadmissibility of flights" unfounded. Sochi residents said the ferry is convenient for city residents.

On the evening of November 5, the Sea Bridge ferry departed from the Turkish port of Trabzon to Sochi for its first voyage in 14 years, TASS reports, citing a representative of the Liderline agency.

Sergey Turkmenyan, CEO of SVS Shipping, which organizes and services this route, reported that there are 20 passengers on board. "We expect the ship to arrive at the roadstead [in Sochi] at 11:00 a.m.," the agency quoted him as saying on the evening of November 5.

The ferry is not currently planned to transport cars, RIA Novosti reports.

This morning, the ferry docked in Sochi, but "it does not yet have permission to enter Russian territory," Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported today, citing Yuri Vladimirov, the seaport's general director.

According to information as of this evening, the ferry continues to drift near Sochi, Kub_Mash reported.

Ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon existed From 1993 to 2011, the service was interrupted during the port's reconstruction for the 2014 Olympics. Attempts to resume services have been made since 2023, but the deadlines were constantly postponed due to political and sanitary restrictions, Sergei Turkmenyan previously told the "Caucasian Knot."