Astoria-Grande

Türkiye blocked the Russian 'Astoria Grande' from docking in an Istanbul port, forcing the vessel carrying 616 passengers to wait off the coast for hours before returning to Sochi. The ship, which arrived at Istanbul’s renowned Galataport on the evening of Nov. 19, 2925, to disembark passengers, remained anchored off the Sarayburnu district for several hours after failing to receive approval from Turkish maritime authorities. 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 ship, operating voyages to Türkiye, Egypt, Georgia and other countries, with a capacity of 1,328 passengers. Russia interpreted the incident as a retaliatory measure, recalling that the Turkish 'Sea Bridge' was forced to return toTrabzon after waiting off the coast of Sochi for two days 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 two Turkish nationals. The 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. Report with photo: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkiye-blocks-russian-cruise-ship-from-istanbul-port-215997

on July 31 the 800 passengers on the 'Astoria Grande' were again confronted with protests in the port of Batumi, when the ship docked there on its way back to Istanbul. About 200 demonstrators held banners denouncing dictator Vladimir Putin for starting the invasion and for the war in Ukraine. Clashes between officials and protesters reportedly broke out. The police apparently arrested nine people, including a Ukrainian. The Ukrainian woman's phone was confiscated. The protesters have thrown eggs and bottles at the cruise ship upon its arrival. The police tightened security and built metal barriers at the port. Activists prevented passengers from disembarking the ship and blocked the path of the bus that was supposed to pick up tourists from the pier. Many Russian celebrities and Putin supporters were among the passengers on the cruise ship. Mitya Fomin, a participant in the marathon “Za Rosiiu” (“For Russia”), a supporter of the annexation of Crimea and former lead singer of the Russian band Hi-Fi, was also on board. Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Fomin. Also on board was the Russian band Testosterone, which performed for the soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces in the military hospital of the Russian Defense Ministry in Nizhny Novgorod, and the Semyonovsky regiment from Moscow. Another artist aboard the 'Astoria Grande' is Belarusian singer Dmitry Koldun, who supported the policies of the Russian Federation. As a result of the protests, the ship left early and will not call again at Batumi. Report with photos and video: https://www.fr.de/politik/unterstuetzer-georgien-russland-kreuzfahrtschiff-ukraine-krieg-proteste-festnahme-putin-92435409.html

The visit of the 'Astoria Grande', carrying Russian tourists to the port of Batumi, turned into a political incident on July 27, 2023. After initially reporting the cruise would be permitted as the ship was not listed under the sanctions, the Georgian government voiced support as protestors lined the dock prompting the ship to depart earlier than scheduled. The vessel was starting a summer season of trips from the port of Sochi with stops at Trabzon, Amasra, Istanbul and Batumi. The seven-day cruise is starting at prices of approximately $1,200 per person. The AIDACara was acquired in 2021 reportedly by a group of Russian investors and renamed Astoria Grande, beginning cruise service in 2022 from Sochi. The listed owners are in the Seychelles and the cruise ship is now registered in Palau. Marketing for the cruises is conducted by a Turkish company Miray International but it is mostly marketed inside Russia. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cruise-ship-with-russian-tourists-jeered-by-georgian-protestors

The website www.astoriagrance.com' states since a few days, translated from Russian: "We hereby inform you that "Shipping company "Aquilon"" and its official partners for technical reasons have temporarily suspended the sale of cruise tickets for the cruise liner "Astoria Grande" ATTENTION! Information about the sale of tickets by other organizations that are not official partners of the "Shipping Company" Akvilon "for the cruise liner" Astoria Grande "is unreliable." Since the operator of the former 'AIDAcara' is a Russian company, it can now be assumed that the European restrictions temporarily have stopped sales. The ship remained idled off Istanbul as of May 18, 2022.