Türkiye blocks Russian cruise ship from Istanbul port

ISTANBUL

Turkish authorities have denied a Russian cruise ship to dock at a port in Istanbul, forcing the vessel carrying 616 passengers to wait off the coast for hours before returning to the Black Sea.

The Astoria Grande, which arrived at Istanbul’s renowned Galataport on the evening of Nov. 19 to disembark passengers, remained anchored off Sarayburnu district for several hours after failing to receive approval from Turkish maritime authorities.

Following the prolonged delay, the cruise liner set sail back to the Russian city of Sochi, media reports said.

Onboard the ship were residents from Russia’s Krasnodar region, as well as Moscow and Leningrad. The Astoria Grande is Russia’s first international cruise liner, operating voyages to Türkiye, Egypt, Georgia and other countries. The vessel has a capacity of 1,328 passengers.

Russian media interpreted the incident as a retaliatory measure, recalling that a Turkish passenger ship was forced to return to the Turkish city of Trabzon after waiting off the coast of Sochi for two days.

On Nov. 9, the “Seabridge” Ro-Ro vessel was denied docking due to security concerns, marking a problematic start to the first voyage to the Russian city from Trabzon in 14 years. The passenger manifest included 18 Russian and 2 Turkish citizens.

In response, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu Minister stated, “Russia is at war and encountered difficulties there. We will apply reciprocity and do the same. Rest assured of that.”

Sources indicated that the Russian side rejected the ferry due to incomplete coordination with federal authorities. Additionally, Sochi Port was closed for drills until noon on the day of arrival.