The seaport is Krasnovodsk's reason for existing. Ferries cross the Caspian to Baku in Azerbaijan — a crossing of roughly 12 to 15 hours in reasonable conditions — and less regularly to Astrakhan in Russia. The port handles cargo and passengers together, which is why schedules are impossible to predict: boats leave when the manifest is full.
The Soviet-era terminal has been partially modernised, but the waiting area remains basic. Fellow passengers range from long-distance truck drivers to traders moving goods between Caspian nations to the occasional overland traveller completing a journey between continents. Bring food, water, and something to read.