UAE: New Qeshm ferry is making waves

Visitors must currently travel by plane, which some say they find expensive and inconvenient.

Now authorities in Iran have announced that the first passenger ship service will be launched a few days after the end of Ramadan, though they were unable to provide an exact date.

"The ship will help to ease any current transportation problems between Qeshm and Dubai and it will also help to boost tourism and trade relations," said Mohammad Ebrahim Larijani, deputy head of the tourism department of Qeshm Free Zone Organisation.

The ferry, which was built in Norway by an Iranian private investor, will be able to carry 350 passengers and 16 tonnes of cargo.

The ship will initially make the round-trip three times a week, but Larijani said daily trips would be considered depending on the demand.

A two-way ticket for the two-hour journey will cost approximately Dh235.

Farnoud Borzin, 41, an Iranian businessman based in Dubai, said he carried out a lot of trade in Qeshm and the passenger ship would help sort out some of his transportation worries.

"There are times when it takes me three days to find a seat on the flight to Dubai because there are so many passengers," said Borzin. "If the marine option becomes available my worries will be put to rest." Borzin, who deals in Iranian art and antiques, added that his clients would also no longer have to deal with delayed cargo once the ferry service started.

At the moment Qeshm Air operates the sole transporta tion link between the island and the emirate.

However, the airline is often overwhelmed by the large number of people visiting the island on visa runs. Passengers frequently have to stay there for extra days waiting for a seat on a return flight.

"I think the existing transport link is not enough given the surplus in demand," said Tahir Hassan Musa, 24, an Egyptian who travels to Qeshm Island every three months to renew his visa.

Musa said the airfare was high given the short distance and he often had to pay for additional nights at a hotel when he failed to get a seat on the plane back to Dubai.

"The general complaint of most passengers is about their inability to travel whenever they want to," added Musa, who has visited the island 10 times on visa runs.

An official from Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said the ferry service would help to attract tourists to both sides. It will also provide an affordable alternative to tourists who wanted to venture into the Gulf, he added.

The ferry will depart from the passenger terminal of Dubai's Port Rashid.

The Qeshm foreign passenger terminal has already been equipped with the necessary processing facilities.