Trabzon – Sochi ferry schedule

Up—to-date information about the Sochi – Trabzon ferry service

Despite numerous postponements, the ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon, which was interrupted in 2011, is finally resuming. The latest news confirms that the first passenger flight of the Sea Bridge ferry from Trabzon to Sochi is scheduled for November 5, 2025. The departure, which was originally scheduled for October 29, was postponed due to adverse weather conditions (storm 5-6 points). Arrival in Sochi is expected on the morning of November 6.

Sea Bridge ferry timetable

The ferry will run twice a week. The duration of the sea voyage is about 12 hours.

Ticket prices and transportation

The cost of one-way tickets for the Sea Bridge ferry starts from 6,500 rubles.

About the Sea Bridge ferry

The Sea Bridge ferry is a cargo and passenger vessel (Ro-Pax) specially designed for this route.

1. Capacity: Up to 450 passengers and 221 passenger cars.
2. On-board facilities: A cafe, a discobar, a duty-free shop, a computer game room and children’s areas are available to passengers.
3. Condition: The vessel was built in 1974 and underwent complete renovation in 1991 and 2024, which ensures its excellent technical condition.

Important note

Despite the official date, the launch of the ferry service has been repeatedly postponed for various reasons, including organizational issues and weather conditions. It is recommended to check with the carrier company SVS Shipping LLC for up-to-date information about flights and ticket availability.

Despite the fact that the technical flight of the ferry vessel took place on October 15, 2025, the resumption of international ferry service through the port of Sochi faced a serious obstacle. Krasnodar Territory Governor Veniamin Kondratiev has publicly expressed his position against launching the route at the present time, citing safety concerns.

“This is an unacceptable situation. Sochi is the main resort of our country, which is visited annually by millions of tourists from Russia and around the world. The priority task for us is to preserve this status and ensure the safety of everyone who comes to us on vacation,” said the governor of the Krasnodar Territory.

Chronology of events earlier

Previously, the start of sea transportation in 2025 had already been postponed several times: At first, the date was January 23, then spring. Now, according to Turkmenyan, there are no exact dates anymore. According to SVS Shipping, the vessel is fully ready for operation, but the final decision remains with the port of Sochi, which continues to coordinate issues related to the reception of the ferry. At the same time, in February 2025, Kommersant, referring to the Southern Customs Administration, published a statement by the head of the department, Andrei Belyaev, that the Sochi checkpoint was fully ready to receive passengers and cargo.

According to information from the port, a place for ticket sales has already been determined and other organizational issues have been resolved, but there are still no changes in the schedule. Also, SVS Shipping still does not have an official online resource with information about flights and the possibility of pre-purchase of tickets. It remains to be hoped that all the difficulties that arise will be resolved in the near future, especially since the cruise service between Russia and Turkey is already operating and continues to expand.

Earlier, the general director of the carrier company said that the launch of the ferry service was postponed due to bad weather conditions, which prevented the painting of the vessel, as well as due to the month of Ramadan in Turkey, which will begin on February 28 and end on March 29.

Even earlier, the first Trabzon – Sochi flight was officially scheduled for January 23, 2025, which never took place. Earlier, the resumption of ferry service between Sochi and the Turkish city of Trabzon was planned for mid-December 2024, which was interrupted 13 years ago. This was reported to TASS by Sergey Turkmenyan, a member of the Board of Directors of the Black Sea Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and CEO of SVS Shipping LLC, the company that organizes and services this ferry route.

“Ferry traffic is resuming after 13 years. Our last ferry was in 2011, before that there were 5 passenger ferries from 1993 to 2011. The first flight is now officially scheduled for January 23. He will leave Trabzon and arrive in Sochi on January 24 in the morning,” Turkmenyan said.

The Sea Bridge ferry, designed to carry about 450 passengers and 220 passenger cars, will run twice a week — on Mondays and Thursdays. Departure from Trabzon is scheduled for 21:00 and arrival in Sochi at 9:00 the next day.

Various facilities for passengers are provided on board the ship: a cafe, a discobar, a duty-free shop, a computer game room and children’s areas. The cost of tickets starts from 6,000 rubles for a seat, from 20,000 rubles for a cabin seat, and transportation of a car will cost 30,000-35,000 rubles, depending on its size. The Sea Bridge ferry was built in 1974 in Italy and underwent a complete renovation in 1991 and 2020, ensuring its excellent technical condition. The ship has 112 cabins for 360 passengers and 93 seats. The ferry is 120.5 meters long and 18.5 meters wide.

Earlier on February 22, 2024, Yuri Vladimirov, the head of the Sochi Commercial Seaport, informed the RIA Novosti news agency about the company’s plans to buy a cargo and passenger ferry to stimulate tourism and begin transportation from Sochi to Trabzon, Turkey. According to him, there was a search for a suitable vessel. Vladimirov also noted that the port of Sochi has already prepared the necessary infrastructure for servicing the future ferry. Despite this, so far, over the past 10 years, it has not been possible to establish regular communication between the two countries.

“The possibility of buying a ferry for the Sochi-Trabzon route is being considered, given the obvious need for this type of transport. The ferry, designed to transport tourists in their private cars, will be in demand, but its capacity is limited: a maximum of 300 people and 60-80 cars. Unfortunately, at the moment there is no suitable vessel on the market,” Vladimirov said.

Earlier, the Turkish side promised the first flight of the Sochi—Trabzon ferry at the end of June 2023. However, many people had doubts about this news even then. After all, negotiations on the purchase of the vessel had just begun.

The launch date of the ferry between Trabzon and Sochi in 2023 was postponed due to insurance problems, it was planned to start flights at the end of May, Fatosh Solt, head of the Turkish travel agency operator Solt Tour, reported in early May 2023.

“We are working to find solutions, despite the problem, we plan to launch ferries after the elections in Turkey,” said Solt.

At the same time, the general director of the Sochi Seaport, Yuri Vladimirov, reported to ATOR that no one had contacted them, had not indicated or agreed on specific dates.

“So far, this is just an initiative. As soon as the operator or the owner of the vessel comes to us and informs us that there is a ferry that is going to be put on line, we will be happy to start work,” explained the head of the seaport.

Earlier, Yuri Vladimirov, General Director of the Sochi Commercial Sea Port, commented that the launch of the ferry between Russia and Turkey was planned for May 1, 2023 and is under negotiation. Fatosh Solt, the head of the Turkish tour operator Solt Tour, also said in an interview with RIA Novosti that flights would be launched on May 10-11, and the ferry would run between the ports twice a week.

At the same time, in early 2023, according to the Yeni Safak newspaper, it was announced that ferry flights between Turkey and Russia would resume for the first time in nine years. Ferries were expected to run between the ports of Trabzon in Turkey and Sochi in Russia.

We plan to sign agreements on the resumption of ferry service on April 6, 2023. A ferry designed for 300 passengers, 200 cars, six buses and 12 containers will be used for the Sochi -Trabzon line. Flights will begin on May 1, and the gates to Russia will be open, said the head of the Trabzon Province Chamber of Commerce, Celebi.

At that time, the first ferry flight between Trabzon and Sochi was scheduled for early May 2023, but unfortunately no agreement had been signed between the parties concerned at that time. The idea of restoring ferries from Sochi to Trabzon has been around for a long time. From 1992 to 2014, ferry services were periodically established between the cities, which were interrupted in preparation for the 2014 Olympics due to safety requirements.

This initiative is expected to play an important role in the development of trade and tourism between the two countries. In addition, the resumption of ferry services can provide a more convenient and faster transport link between Trabzon and Sochi, which contributes to the development of the exchange of goods and services.

The last ferry service between these ports was performed in 2014. The restoration of ferry services between the two countries may be an important signal for the restoration of friendly relations between Turkey and Russia.

The ferry route between Sochi and Trabzon was popular among travelers who were carrying bulky luggage or planning to continue traveling in their own car through Turkey. Due to its size, the ferry could take on board not only passengers, but also cars. Every week on Monday evenings, a ferry departed from the Sochi Sea Station, which arrived in Trabzon in the morning. In turn, the ferry left Trabzon on Friday. The duration of the trip was about 12 hours.

The schedule of the Trabzon – Sochi ferry can be tracked on the Port of Trabzon website.

The information was updated on October 31, 2025.