I have heard that there is a new Turkey - Libya ferry, the Kevalay Queen, between Istanbul and Tripoli, and Istanbul and Misrata. I was wondering what times it departs, from which port it leaves from, and if I can book online. Could someone in the area try to answer?
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The only information I could find on the web was from 2021 and 2022, when the MS Sardinia Regina ferry was sold to Kevalay Travel & Tourism, with the goal of being used as a Turkey - Libya ferry. That's it. There's no website where one can book tickets and not a single article about a completed voyage. The ship apparently made it from Italy to Libya, but most likely not to Turkey. IMO the plans failed to materialize. No wonder, because it doesn't make economic sense. A Greece to Egypt ferry would make much more sense.– JohnnyjankoCommented Feb 22 at 8:55
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1libyaherald.com/2023/05/… seems to be more recent, as well as libyaobserver.ly/news/….– nohillsideCommented Feb 22 at 9:00
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@Johnnyjanko "because it doesn't make economic sense" care to expand on this?– EarlGreyCommented Feb 22 at 10:20
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@EarlGrey IMO it's pretty obvious. There is a reason why there are next to no ferry connections across the Mediterranean sea. That reason is called: competition from airplanes. 72 hours at sea can't be cheap. So if someone wants to reinstate a ferry connection, they should pick a route which has the biggest potential. Turkey is not a source of vacationgoers and Libya is not a popular destination. If this ferry indeed operates, it does so on an irregular basis, much like cargo ships. Other than transporting illegal migrants, there can't be a stable source of demand to justify such ferry link.– JohnnyjankoCommented Feb 22 at 13:04
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@Johnnyjanko Illegal migrants from Libya to Turkey (or the other way around) to access EU is the fooliest possible path, since Europe showered Erdogan with money to hold the migrants there. Back to the theme: there was a ferry link between Libya and Turkey until 25 8or 40, depending on sources) years ago. Probably carrying trucks. So maybe it is not completely economically nonsense (see ferries in Scandinavia, famous for cheap booze, but manatined in life by trucks, for example)– EarlGreyCommented Feb 22 at 15:21
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1 Answer
This vessel is experiencing significant issues, including pollution incidents, engine malfunctions, and even ! collisions !. It would advice to monitor its movements via Vesseltracker. Once you observe a pattern of normal departures, that would be the best time to make plans regarding this route. Currently, there's no reliability in any schedule available.
