The foreign ferry spent five days in the occupied enforcement port. Why are the Georgian authorities silent? On October 31, the passenger ferry Firoz G (IMO: 7811329) under the flag of Palau arrived in the port area of ​​Ochmir in occupied Abkhazia. According to public vessel tracking data, the ferry was there for five days and left the port area on November 5. The ship then reached Turkey's territorial waters, and is now headed for the Egyptian city of Alexandria. What exactly the shuttle was doing in Auchiner is unknown. There is still no information whether the ship carried cargo or passengers, whether loading and unloading operations were carried out, or whether it called directly at the port or remained on the road. The ferry itself was built in 1979. Throughout history, it changed its name many times and was flown under the flags of Turkey and Panama. The vessel is currently registered under the flag of Palau and is owned by GURCAK GEMICILIK INSAAT NAK. According to the AIS ship tracking system, Firoz G visited the Russian port of Tuapse 41 times and the Turkish port of Karasu 32 times during the past 12 months. This indicates the normal commercial activity of the vessels in the Russian-Turkish direction. Why does this story raise questions? Russia continues to develop maritime infrastructure in occupied Abkhazeti, including in Ochmar, which increases the strategic importance of the local port. Georgia's legislation restricts economic activity in the occupied territories. According to Article 6 of the Law of Georgia "On the Occupied Territories", international maritime traffic with such territories is prohibited, except in cases provided by law. Such activities require special permission from the Government of Georgia. However, it is not yet known if the Firuze G has such a certification.

The foreign ferry spent five days in the occupied enforcement port. Why are the Georgian authorities silent? On October 31, the passenger ferry Firoz G (IMO: 7811329) under the flag of Palau arrived in the port area of ​​Ochmir in occupied Abkhazia. According to public vessel tracking data, the ferry was there for five days and left the port area on November 5. The ship then reached Turkey's territorial waters, and is now headed for the Egyptian city of Alexandria. What exactly the shuttle was doing in Auchiner is unknown. There is still no information whether the ship carried cargo or passengers, whether loading and unloading operations were carried out, or whether it called directly at the port or remained on the road. The ferry itself was built in 1979. Throughout history, it changed its name many times and was flown under the flags of Turkey and Panama. The vessel is currently registered under the flag of Palau and is owned by GURCAK GEMICILIK INSAAT NAK. According to the AIS ship tracking system, Firoz G visited the Russian port of Tuapse 41 times and the Turkish port of Karasu 32 times during the past 12 months. This indicates the normal commercial activity of the vessels in the Russian-Turkish direction. Why does this story raise questions? Russia continues to develop maritime infrastructure in occupied Abkhazeti, including in Ochmar, which increases the strategic importance of the local port. Georgia's legislation restricts economic activity in the occupied territories. According to Article 6 of the Law of Georgia "On the Occupied Territories", international maritime traffic with such territories is prohibited, except in cases provided by law. Such activities require special permission from the Government of Georgia. However, it is not yet known if the Firuze G has such a certification.