A total of 4 more ships have left the Ukrainian Port of Odesa and Chornomorsk for Turkey, carrying grain and sunflower oil.
A total of 4 more ships have left the Ukrainian Port of Odesa and Chornomorsk for Turkey, carrying grain and sunflower oil.
Of the 4 ships, 2 will dock in Turkey and the other 2 will head for Italy and China. The 4 bulk carriers were loaded with almost 170,000 tonnes of corn and other foodstuffs. The ships that have left Ukrainian ports include Glory, with a cargo of 66,000 tonnes of corn bound for Istanbul, Riva Wind, carrying 44,000 tonnes of corn for Turkey’s Iskenderun, Star Helena, with a cargo of 45,000 tonnes of meal for China, and Mustafa Necati, carrying 6,000 tonnes of sunflower oil for Italy.
The ships will be inspected in Turkey as a part of the United Nations (U.N.) brokered deal between Ukraine and Russia to resume the tonnes of foodgrain being stuck in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The deal to resume grain export took 2 months to materialize and is set to last 120 days. It can be renewed if both parties agree. Turkey had played a major role in getting the deal finalised. The first ship carrying grain left from Black Sea Port of Odesa in Ukraine on August 1, 2022. Russia has agreed not to target Ports while shipments are in transit and Ukraine has agreed that its naval vessels will guide the cargo ships through waters that have been mined.
A foreign-flagged ship arrived in Ukraine for the first time since the war started in February to be loaded with grain.
Speaking on the occasion, Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine – Oleksandr Kubrakov said, “We are gradually moving on to larger volumes of work. We plan to ensure the ability of the ports to handle at least 100 vessels per month in the near future.”
The resumption of grain exports is being overseen by a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, where Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and United Nations personnel are working. The JCC also said it was near the finalisation of the shipping procedures to regularise operations to support the implementation of the grain deal.
Around 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in the country, as a result of the blockade imposed by Russia on Ukrainian ports. If the deal holds, Ukraine expects to export up to 3 million tonnes of grain per month. Ukrainian authorities say there are good signs that the grain exports are safe and have urged companies to return to the country’s ports.
The exports are expected to ease the global food crisis while bringing in much needed foreign currency. The President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed the resumption of export but has also said that security concerns remain.
