Claim: A Social media post claims that tickets for the newly announced Gwadar-Gulf ferry service will cost between Rs 25,000 to 30,000.
Fact: The claim is false. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs confirmed that no official announcements regarding the ferry price tickets have been made yet, and the matter is still under negotiation.
On 9 July 2025, a Facebook page, Kuwait Urdu News, posted an image (archive) with the news that “Pakistan has announced the imminent launch of a direct luxury ferry service (sea travel) from Gwadar for 25,000 to 35,000 rupees. In the first phase, the service will be launched for the United Arab Emirates and Oman, while the service for other Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, will be launched later”.
The post refers to Pakistan’s newly announced ferry service from Gwadar to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The initiative has been launched by the Pakistani government with the aim to enhance regional connectivity, ease passenger travel, and unlock new trade opportunities with the Middle East, NIKKEI Asia reported. The ferry service will link Gwadar in Balochistan to Muscat in Oman in the initial phase and then expand to Kuwait and other countries, the ministry said in a statement earlier this month.
Fact or Fiction?
To verify the claim, Soch Fact Check conducted a keyword search using terms like “Gwadar ferry service, ticket price, 25,000 pkr,” but found no credible news reports to support it.
We then contacted Muhammad Asghar, Head of Media and Public Relations at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, who confirmed via a phone call that no official announcements regarding the ferry ticket prices have been made yet. He clarified that the ministry is currently in talks with a delegation in Oman, and the process is still underway as companies are submitting proposals at the moment, a development that was also reported by Dawn.
Asghar also stated that ticket prices have not been finalized and described the posts circulating on social media as “fake”.
Virality
The false post on Facebook garnered 6,800 likes, 563 shares, and 274 comments. It was also shared here, here, and here.
Pakistani news channel 24 NewsHD also shared the ticket price in their news package on YouTube without crediting any source.
Conclusion: The Ministry of Maritime Affairs confirmed that it has not announced any ticket prices for the ferry service between Gwadar and Gulf countries. Claims circulating on social media are not backed by any official sources and are, therefore, unverified.
Background image in cover photo: iStock
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com