The Border Police of Georgia has initiated a criminal investigation into the entry of a Palau-flagged cargo ferry into a port in occupied Abkhazia.
According to available data, the ferry Firuze G (IMO: 7811329) entered the waters of the port of Ochamchire on October 31, stayed there for five days, and departed on November 5.
According to the agency, the investigation is being conducted under Part 1 of Article 322¹ of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which addresses the unlawful entry of foreign nationals or stateless persons into the occupied territory of Georgia in violation of the procedures established by the Law on Occupied Territories.
Timeline of Events and Questions for the AuthoritiesOn October 31, the Coast Guard of the Border Police Department recorded the vessel’s presence in the territorial waters of Abkhazia, which are closed to navigation. The information was forwarded to the Operational-Investigative Department, which initiated an investigation.The vessel has a cargo capacity of up to 6,000 tons. Notably, the ferry did not disable its Automatic Identification System (AIS) and entered the port openly, being tracked by all relevant agencies. The exact nature of the cargo delivered or exported by the ferry remains unknown.
Currently, according to reports, after departing Georgian territorial waters, the vessel initially sailed into Turkish territorial waters and is currently en route to Alexandria, Egypt.
Expert Assessments and Legal ViolationsGocha Beridze, a former senior Coast Guard official, told the Pirvelebi television channel that the incident constitutes a flagrant breach of the Law on Occupied Territories, particularly Article 6, which restricts any economic activity in the region.
Beridze demanded clear answers from national authorities on whether criminal proceedings have also been initiated under articles governing illegal economic activity in occupied territories, and whether inspections were conducted regarding the cargo transported.
“Russia is actively working to build and expand an alternative port in Ochamchire to accommodate large vessels, with plans to export Russian grain from there. Against this backdrop, the occupation law is being violated, while the so-called authorities of Georgia remain silent and take no action,” Beridze emphasized.