As provided for in the cereals agreement, the joint coordination center (JCC) in charge of controlling Ukrainian wheat exports via the Black Sea was inaugurated on Wednesday 27 July in Istanbul. Installed in the heart of a military academy, in the district of Maslak, on the European side of the Turkish metropolis, the center will be responsible for inspecting the ships which will ensure the exit of Ukrainian cereals, sunflower oil and fertilizers to world markets.
Thanks to the mediation of Turkey and the UN, kyiv and Moscow reached an agreement, on July 22, in Istanbul, to facilitate the export of approximately 25 million tons of cereals blocked in the Ukrainian ports of the Black Sea since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24. About 20 civil and military representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN – five each – will manage the registration of ships, track journeys and inspect cargoes at the time of loading in the Ukrainian ports and unloading in Turkish ports.
Stating that“no military presence” was not planned to escort the convoys, Hulusi Akar, the Turkish Minister of Defence, made it known that the demining was the responsibility of the center, but that it was not “necessary at this stage”. According to the Kyiv government, it will take place only in narrow, secure sea corridors.
Hundreds of ships stranded
Turkey, which has many minesweepers, said it was ready to put its know-how at the service of kyiv. Help will be provided if Ukrainian ports need to be cleared, Akar said. A scenario that the kyiv government wants to avoid in fear of a Russian landing. According to the Ukrainian navy, the three loading ports – Odessa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhne – have started to operate again. “The preparation and planning for the first departures continues”, confirmed the Turkish Minister of Defense. However, the first convoy, which was supposed to leave the port of Chornomorsk, south of Odessa, on Wednesday as a test, has not yet set sail.
The war has taken a toll on trade in the Black Sea, with nearly a hundred merchant ships and their crews stranded in Ukrainian ports since the start of the Russian offensive. The agreement provides that they can use the maritime corridors as quickly as possible “secure” set up by the control center in Istanbul. But, obviously, the preparation, in particular the restoration of the boats, the mobilization of the crews, the insurance formalities take longer than expected. Shipping companies are slow to get the wheat out while insurers are trying to assess the risks, including that posed by mines.
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