Merchant Marine Fleet of Turkmenistan

If you are simply trying to cross the Caspian between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, this may not be the best page to start with.

Two shipping companies carry passengers between Alat in Azerbaijan and Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan: Merchant Marine Fleet of Turkmenistan (MMF) and Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO). There is no useful fixed passenger timetable, so travelers who just want to get across will often take whichever company's ferry is ready to leave first.

For that reason:

• Start with Alat–Turkmenbashi if you want to understand the complete crossing, including schedules, tickets, border procedures and waiting times.
• See Alat port for information about reaching the Azerbaijani port and finding the ticket offices.
• See the ASCO article if an Azerbaijani ferry is likely to leave first.
• Keep reading here if you specifically want to travel with Merchant Marine Fleet, or want information about its ferries Berkarar and Bagtyyar.

Merchant Marine Fleet is Turkmenistan's national sea carrier. Its main service of interest to international travelers connects Turkmenbashi with Alat, around 70 km south of central Baku, using the Ro-Pax ferries Berkarar and Bagtyyar.¹

Turkmen sources commonly describe this as the Turkmenbashi–Baku or Turkmenbashi–Baku (Alat) route, even though the ferries use Alat rather than a terminal in central Baku.

Routes

For most international travelers, MMF has only one important passenger route:

• Alat–Turkmenbashi: international passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Berkarar and Bagtyyar.¹

Booking tickets

The first thing to understand is that MMF and ASCO are separate operators with separate ticketing systems.

This matters particularly in Alat, where either an MMF or an ASCO ferry could be the next ship to Turkmenistan.

ASCO does not offer online booking for Alat–Turkmenbashi; its online passenger system is limited to Alat–Kuryk–Alat.² For an ASCO sailing to Turkmenbashi, contact its route-specific ticket office, confirm that passengers will be accepted, and buy the ticket at the office.³ ASCO reported electronic ticket orders for this route in early 2025, but that historical figure does not describe the current booking system.⁴

An ASCO ticket cannot be used on an MMF ferry. If you buy a ticket from ASCO, treat it as an ASCO ticket rather than an open ticket for whichever company's ship happens to sail first.

This distinction is useful if your priority is simply to reach Turkmenistan as soon as possible: committing to one operator in advance may mean waiting for that operator even if a ferry belonging to the other company becomes available first.

MMF has its own online booking system. Online ticket sales for the Turkmenbashi–Baku–Turkmenbashi route were announced in November 2022.⁵ An archived version of the MMF website from July 2025 still showed a passenger “Tickets booking” form.⁶

In practice, however, the MMF website can be difficult or impossible to reach. Do not base your travel plans on being able to book through mmf.com.tm, particularly when approaching the crossing from Azerbaijan.

From Alat to Turkmenbashi

There is no fixed passenger timetable comparable to a conventional scheduled ferry.

Departures depend on where the ships are, cargo operations, port availability, weather and other operational factors. A ferry being in Alat also does not necessarily mean that passengers will board immediately.

If you are in Azerbaijan and your only priority is to take the first available passenger ferry to Turkmenistan, the practical approach is usually to find out what is happening at Alat port before committing to one operator.

The next sailing might be:

• MMF, aboard Berkarar or Bagtyyar; or
• ASCO, aboard one of its own ferries.

You then buy a ticket from the company operating that sailing.

For MMF, travelers in June and July 2025 reported buying their tickets at the ticket office beside the entrance to Alat port once a sailing appeared likely. Payment was made through the bank next to the ticket office.^{7 8}

Tracking Berkarar and Bagtyyar

If you specifically want to travel on an MMF ferry, it can help to check where the two ships currently are:

• Berkarar on MarineTraffic
• Bagtyyar on MarineTraffic

In June 2025, travelers used vessel tracking before going to Alat and bought their tickets once the ferry they were waiting for had arrived.⁷

Treat the positions only as a rough guide. AIS updates can be delayed, and a ferry arriving in Alat does not tell you exactly when tickets will go on sale or when it will depart.

From Turkmenbashi

From the Turkmenistan side, MMF's online booking system may be worth trying when the website is accessible.

Tickets have also traditionally been handled through MMF's passenger facilities in Turkmenbashi.⁵ If the website is unavailable or you need information about the next departure, contact the Turkmenbashi Marine Station directly; details are listed below.

Fares

The most recent official MMF passenger fare I could find was published in November 2022, when Turkmenbashi–Baku tickets cost 1,200–2,200 TMT depending on class.⁵ No newer public MMF passenger tariff could be verified.

Prices quoted to foreign travelers in Alat have since been given in US dollars.

In June 2025, two passengers paid USD 120 each for a seat without a cabin on an MMF ferry.⁷

In July 2025, another passenger was quoted:

• USD 116 for a seat
• USD 150 for an inside cabin
• USD 170 for an outside cabin⁸

These traveler reports are probably more useful for estimating the likely cost in Alat than the old 2022 tariff, but they should still be treated as examples rather than guaranteed current prices.

The ferries

MMF uses two Ro-Pax ferries on the Alat–Turkmenbashi route:

• Berkarar
• Bagtyyar

Both carry passengers and road vehicles.

MMF information lists 4 luxury cabins, 30 standard cabins and 136 ordinary seats on each vessel.^{1 5} Advertised facilities include a restaurant or café, shop, children's area and medical point.⁵

When online booking was introduced in 2022, MMF gave an approximate sailing time of 12–14 hours.⁵ Waiting for the ship, boarding, cargo operations and border formalities can make the journey considerably longer.

On a July 2025 crossing, passengers boarded in Alat but remained there for roughly six hours before departure; the sea crossing itself then took about 15 hours.⁸ A June 2025 journey likewise involved several hours of waiting around the actual crossing.⁷

Dinner and breakfast were included on the July 2025 sailing.⁸

Contacts

Merchant Marine Fleet

• Website: https://mmf.com.tm/
• Phone: +993 243 50261
• Email: info@mmf.com.tm⁹

Turkmenbashi Marine Station

• Phone: +993 243 51107
• Mobile: +993 65 160 906
• Email: marinestation@mmf.com.tm¹⁰

More information

• Alat–Turkmenbashi ferry — start here for the complete crossing, including schedules, tickets, border procedures and practical planning
• Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) — the Azerbaijani operator on the same crossing
• Alat port — getting to the port, facilities and ticket offices
• Caspian Sea ferry overview — context on other routes, including the poorly documented Olya–Turkmenbashi freight connection

Sources

Sources

1. State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan — New features of the Merchant Sea Fleet, information on Berkarar, Bagtyyar and the Turkmenbashi–Baku (Alat) route. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. ASCO passenger booking interface, currently limited to Alat–Kuryk–Alat; accessed 4 September 2026. ↩

3. Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company — Passenger FAQ, confirming ASCO passenger services, fares and ticket-office contact information for Alat–Turkmenbashi. ↩

4. Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company — The number of electronic ticketing system users has been announced for the first quarter, 1 May 2025. ASCO reports electronic ticket sales for Alat–Turkmenbashi and separately states that passengers were carried aboard ASCO ferry vessels. ↩

5. Orient — Passenger ferry tickets from Turkmenbashi to Baku can be purchased online, 18 November 2022; information supplied by the Turkmen maritime authorities/MMF. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

6. Internet Archive — archived MMF website, 11 July 2025, showing the MMF passenger ticket booking interface. ↩

7. Caravanistan forum — Jakob, 4 July 2025, describing a June 2025 Alat–Turkmenbashi crossing on an MMF ferry. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. Caravanistan forum — Jonas666, 22 July 2025, describing MMF ticket purchase, prices and the Alat–Turkmenbashi crossing. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

9. Balkan Shipyard — maritime organizations and contact information, listing Merchant Marine Fleet's address, phone number, email and website. ↩

10. State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan — Avaza and Gyzylsuv passenger routes, including Turkmenbashi Marine Station contact details. ↩