Ferries in Istanbul are a mode of public transportation within and surrounding the city of Istanbul, Turkey. There are three major ferry operators in the city: the municipally owned Şehir Hatları ("City Lines"), which operates traditional vapurs; the privately operated İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri (İDO) ("İstanbul Sea Busses"), which operates high-speed urban and intercity services, and the privately owned Turyol which operates mostly urban services.
The city's largest and oldest ferry operator is the municipally owned Şehir Hatları ("City Lines"). Founded in 1851 as the Şirket-i Hayriye (“The Goodwill Company”),[1] Şehir Hatları operates the city's iconic white and orange ferries (vapurs). Şehir Hatları currently operates 30 ferries between 53 piers on 32 lines, serving both sides of the Bosphorus as well as the Princes' Islands. In 2023 Şehir Hatları transported 40 million passengers.[2]
Main article: İDOIstanbul Sea Buses (İstanbul Deniz Otobusleri, İDO) runs a combination of catamaran-type high-speed ferries and vehicle ferries within Istanbul and across the Sea of Marmara to provinces such as Bursa and Yalova.[3] Ido was established in 1987 by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and was privatized in April 2011.[4] Today, İDO, maintains a fleet of 26 high-speed passenger ferries and 22 vehicle ferries serving 21 piers across the Marmara Region[5]
Another smaller private ferry company, Turyol, provides frequent services on routes from Eminönü, Kabataş, Beyoğlu and Karaköy to piers at Üsküdar, Haydarpaşa and Kadıköy, among others.
Boats have traversed the waters of the Bosphorus for millennia and until the opening of the first Bosphorus bridge in 1973, were the only mode of transport between the European and Asian halves of Istanbul. They continue to serve as a key public transport link for many thousands of commuters, tourists and vehicles every day.The first private steam ferries (called vapur in Turkish[6]), crossed the Bosphorus in 1837. The first ferries were wooden paddle boats and were later replaced by iron and steel screw ships. In 1851, the Şirket-i Hayriye [tr] (literally “The Goodwill Company”, as the Istanbul Ferry Company was originally called) was established by the Ottoman state. The Şirket-i Hayriye, renamed Şehir Hatları in the early republican period. In 1937, Şehir Hatları was nationilized and came under the control of the state-owned Türkiye Denizcilik İşletmeleri (TDİ) (“Turkish Maritime Lines ”). The TDİ was largely privatized in the late 90s and early 2000s and ownership of the Şehir Hatları was transferred to the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality in March 2006.
Several generations of ferries have served the city and many of the earlier ferries were built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Glasgow, Scotland. These white, black and yellow boats have gone on to become iconic in the modern popular culture of the city. One was featured in the James Bond film From Russia with Love, while more recently a new-generation and therefore historically inaccurate ferry appeared momentarily in the 2012 film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which was set in the 1970s. The last steam-powered ferry ran until 2003. A new generation of boats, designed by Fairfield but built in Istanbul, came into operation in the 2000s, enhancing the historic fleet.
| Class | Ship Name | Capacity (Summer/Winter) | Type | Commission Date | Builder | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M/S Prof. Dr. Aykurt Barka | 2100/1684 | Vapur | 1973 | İstanbul | Formerly known as "Sedefadası" | ||
| M/S Barış Manço | 2100/1684 | Vapur | 1973 | İstanbul | Formerly known as "İnciburnu" | ||
| M/S Ahmet H. Yıldırım | 2100/1797 | Vapur | 1974 | İstanbul | Formerly known as "Bostancı" | ||
| M/S Fahri S. Korutürk | 2100/1470 | Vapur | 1989 | İstanbul | |||
| M/S Emin Kul | 2100/1470 | Vapur | 1989 | İstanbul | Formerly known as "Bahçekapı" | ||
| Fatih | M/S Sarıyer | 1800/900 | Vapur | 2010 | İstanbul | ||
| M/S Kadıköy | 1800/900 | Vapur | 2009 | İstanbul | |||
| M/S Fatih | 1800/900 | Vapur | 2008 | İstanbul | |||
| M/S Beyoğlu | 1800/900 | Vapur | 2009 | Çeliktrans Shipyard | |||
| M/S Beykoz | 1800/900 | Vapur | 2009 | Çeliktrans Shipyard | |||
| Bahçe | M/S Paşabahçe | 1700/1700 | Vapur | 1952 | Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto | Decommissioned in 2010. Recommissioned in 2022 after significant renovations at the Haliç Shipyard. Oldest active vessel in the Şehir Hatları fleet.[14] | |
| M/S Fenerbahçe | N/A | Vapur | 1952 | William Denny & Brothers | Decommissioned in 2009. On loan to the Rahmi M. Koç Museum. | ||
| Köy | M/S Şehit Sami Akbulut | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1985 | Haliç Shipyard | Formerly known as "Sarayburnu" | |
| M/S Şehit Metin Sülüş | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1986 | Haliç Shipyard | |||
| M/S Prof. Dr. Alaeddin Yavaşça | 1512/1259 | Vapur | 1987 | Haliç Shipyard | Formerly known as "Kalamış" | ||
| M/S Nurettin Alptoğan | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1985 | Haliç Shipyard | Formerly known as "Bayraklı" | ||
| M/S Moda | 1519/1266 | Vapur | 1986 | Haliç Shipyard | |||
| M/S İ. Hakkı Durusu | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1985 | Haliç Shipyard | Formerly known as "Karşıyaka" | ||
| M/S Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin | 1500/1259 | Vapur | 1987 | Haliç Shipyard | Formerly known as "Caddebostan" | ||
| M/S Beşiktaş I | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1986 | Haliç Shipyard | |||
| M/S Kızıltoprak | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1988 | İstinye Shipyard | |||
| Şüheda | M/S Şehit Mustafa Aydoğdu | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1981 | Haliç Shipyard | ||
| M/S Şehit İlker Karter | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1980 | Haliç Shipyard | |||
| M/S İstanbul-9 | 1450/1340 | Vapur | 1977 | Haliç Shipyard | Formerly known as "Şehit Sami Akbulut" | ||
| Su | ŞH - Küçüksu | 700/508 | Double-ended | 2015 | Yalova | ||
| ŞH - Gümüşsu | 700/508 | Double-ended | 2015 | Yalova | |||
| ŞH - Göksu | 700/508 | Double-ended | 2015 | Yalova | |||
| ŞH - Durusu | 700/508 | Double-ended | 2015 | Yalova | |||
| Panaromik | Sütlüce | 600/453 | Motor Boat | 2009 | İstanbul | ||
| Kasımpaşa | 600/453 | Motor Boat | 2009 | İstanbul | |||
| Hasköy | 600/453 | Motor Boat | 2009 | İstanbul |