The Sea Bridge ferry has no intention of returning to Trabzon.

The Sea Bridge ferry will await permission to enter the port of Sochi and disembark passengers. It has enough food supplies for 10 days. All documents for the ferry line to operate have been completed, the carrier's representatives assured.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," the Sea Bridge ferry, which departed Trabzon on the evening of November 5 with 20 passengers on board, has been awaiting permission to enter the port of Sochi since the morning of November 6. However, it does not yet have permission to enter Russia. The resumption of ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon has been fully coordinated with federal and port authorities, the transport organizer stated, calling the statement by Veniamin Kondratyev, head of the Krasnodar Territory, about the "inadmissibility of flights" unfounded. Sochi residents stated that the ferry is convenient for city residents.

The Sea Bridge ferry, operating its first Trabzon-Sochi route in 14 years, will not return until it disembarks passengers at a Russian port, said Mustafa Çakır, a representative of the Liderline agency in Trabzon.

"The ferry will not turn around. It will return only after disembarking passengers in Sochi and picking up new ones in Trabzon," Çakır said.

He noted that the ferry's food supplies are designed to last for 10 days and can be easily replenished from shore if necessary. "There are no problems with food supplies on the ferry; the supplies are designed to last for ten days – this is standard practice. Moreover, supplies can be easily replenished in just 10 minutes using boats that will depart from Sochi," Cakir said.

The ferry line's organizers have completed all the necessary paperwork, Liderline representative in Trabzon Mustafa Cakir told RIA Novosti.

"All the necessary documents for the ferry line have been completed in accordance with the law, and there are no problems. The ferry is moored and awaiting permission to enter the port," Cakir said.

Ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon operated from 1993 to 2011 and was interrupted during the port's reconstruction for the 2014 Olympics. Attempts to resume flights have been made since 2023, but the dates were constantly postponed due to political and sanitary restrictions, Sergey Turkmenyan, CEO of SVS Shipping, which organizes and services this route, previously told the "Caucasian Knot." "Formally, the governor has no connection to the international checkpoint at the Sochi seaport and cannot influence its operation," Turkmenyan noted, commenting on Kondratyev's statements. He added that the security claim appears odd given the regular international cruise and air traffic. "Up to 12 flights depart daily from Sochi Airport to Turkey and 18 other countries. The cruise ship Astoria Grande carries over 1,100 passengers weekly, calling at ports in Turkey, Greece, and Israel. And this doesn't bother anyone. So why is a ferry carrying four hundred passengers suddenly considered 'dangerous'?" - Turkmenyan asked.