Sea service launched between Sochi and Sukhumi

The first test flight from Sochi to the capital of Abkhazia, Sukhum, was made by the sea passenger ship "Kosmonavt Pavel Popovich" of the "Kometa 120M" type. In the future, the carrier may launch regular sea service between the cities.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, on May 1, the first regular flight in 32 years from Moscow to Sukhum (the Georgian name of the city is Sukhumi) was made by the airline "UVT Aero". The flight, designed for 50 seats, was used by 49 passengers. Georgia and the European Union condemned the launch of regular air service between Russia and Abkhazia, calling it a violation of Georgia's territorial integrity.

On August 6, the high-speed passenger hydrofoil vessel "Kosmonavt Pavel Popovich" of the "Kometa 120M" type made its first test flight to the capital of Abkhazia from Sochi. The ship traveled 146 km along the Black Sea coast from the Sochi sea terminal to the Sukhumi port.

95% of the passenger seats were occupied, there are 120 of them. After the test voyage, the carrier will consider the possibility of organizing regular sea service between Sochi and Sukhumi, TASS reported.

As Anna Fomenko, director of the Azov-Black Sea branch of Rosmorport, told the agency, the Kometa picks up speed to 35 knots per hour (65 km/h). The ship covers the distance between Sochi and Sukhumi in 2.5 hours. She also noted that preparatory work was carried out in the Sukhumi sea port before the launch of the test voyage from Sochi. In particular, the pier was further equipped there.

There is no schedule for the corresponding regular service yet, organizational conclusions will be made only after the test voyage, the ship owner's representative Pavel Marukhin told RIA Novosti.

"The ship has proven itself quite well, there were no technical problems. During the voyage, the guests liked it, the passengers seemed to be happy, and accordingly, we are also happy. The ship is 100% ready for such trips. Then it is a question of working out the route, distance, cost. We believe that we have 100% fulfilled the task," he said.

Note that Rossiyskaya Gazeta wrote in July that the cost of a ticket for the Kometa is 6.5 thousand rubles. "In order for the sea vessel to be filled to the maximum and popular with residents and tourists, it is impossible to do without state subsidies," the publication said in its article.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" previously wrote that the high cost of flights to Sukhum reduces the benefits of regular air traffic between Russia and Abkhazia; it is much cheaper to fly to Sochi and from there go to Abkhazia, social media users indicated. Prices for flights from Moscow to Sukhum significantly exceed the cost of a flight from Moscow to Sochi.