Ferries in the Red Sea

This page is an overview of ferry services in the Red Sea. It gives only basic information, see each ferry port or country's "Get in by boat" section for more on times, fares, and other practicalities - especially visas. The Red Sea is a long thin ribbon, so crossing times are short and fares are low; the biggest problem is getting reliable information on whether tomorrow's ferry is actually sailing. During the 21st century some ferries have been suspended for years on end.

There are three main customers for the ferries: tourists, trucks, and pilgrims. The narrow north end of the Red Sea is the best developed for tourist ferries, which may be fast hydrofoils for foot passengers only. These ply between Jordan and Egypt bypassing the 7 km coastline of Israel. Slower ferries carry coaches and trucks, and some pilgrims cross to Aqaba then head south into Saudi Arabia. Ferries on the longer crossings further south may only sail during the Hajj pilgrimage season and are then horribly (indeed dangerously) congested. There has also been ferry traffic from migrant workers going to and from jobs in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, but this labour market has closed down, hence fewer ferries.