SOCHI, November 6. /TASS/. The Sea Bridge ferry, which sailed from the Turkish city of Trabzon to the Russian resort town of Sochi, was unable to have passengers disembarked in eleven hours due to absence of an authorization to enter the Russian territory, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said.

The vessel departed from Trabzon on Wednesday evening and called at the Sochi roadstead in the morning on Thursday. About two dozen passengers are on board of the ferry.

"The first ferry from Turkey’s Trabzon, which was to restore the sea service after several years, could not let passengers disembark. The Russian side did not accept the Sea Bridge because it had no authorization to enter the Russian territory and furthermore, the port of Sochi was closed for exercises until noon," the association informed.

The ferry service between Sochi and Trabzon resumed in fourteen years. The last ferry on this line made its voyages in 2011. Five passenger ferries were used from 1993 to 2011. It is planned that the ferry will carry passengers only after the service restart. Motor vehicles will be added over time.