There was a lot of confusion about how to obtain a ferry ticket to Turkmenistan from Baku on the run up to the rally. After our time at the port & chatting to various people there are a couple of options available.
Firstly there are 2 services. One is a government service, the other is private.
Option 1 – The Fixer
There is a fixer available in Baku who can secure you a place on one of the ferries. He will normally find you as he is very aware of the Mongol Rally. Many rallier’s used him this year. Reasons for using him seemed to vary. Dependant on how desperate you are to get on the next ferry &/or if you are prepared to sit at the docks or not then it’s likely people will use him. We had heard teams not getting much change from USD$1000 which seemed pretty steep. There were some who paid around USD$500 but these were the minority. I guess the cost will be determined on how good your negotiating skills are.
The fixer appears to only sell tickets for the private boats.
We were also aware where the fixer had let some teams down for the ferry to Kazakhstan. Some were waiting for 8 days & ended up getting a ticket through the ticket office at the port.
Option 2 – The Ticket Office at The Port of Baku
At the old port in Baku (they are building a new port 70km away) the ticket office sells tickets for the ferry to Turkmenbashi. The prices are the same & non negotiable. You are charged for your car per meter & the number of passengers. The length of your car is the length they tell you it is. Unless you have the manufacturers handbook with the correct details you will not change their mind. I believe most were charged on their cars being 3.5 meters long. The picture below shows the prices for 2015.
The downside of purchasing the ferry ticket is you need to wait around for the office to open or keep coming back to the port each day to check the situation. There is also no guarantee there will be enough space. The trucks take priority.
The ticket office can only sell tickets for the government boats.
Option 3 – be prepared to camp at the port, make friends with the port staff & don’t be a nuisance.
I don’t know if we were a nuisance or not but taking the time to chat with the staff at the port definitely helped us. We secured our ticket on the private boat with a cabin & en-suite for USD$340. No fixer required 
PS – the ferry appeared to be recently refurbished & put many services between the UK & France to shame!
