The first shipment of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa on Monday, in accordance with the terms of the international agreement with Russia signed in Istanbul, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced.
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa at 06:17 GMT on Monday, in accordance with the terms of the international agreement with Russia signed in Istanbul, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced. “The Razoni ship left the port of Odessa bound for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon. It is expected on August 2 in Istanbul. It will continue on its way to its destination following the inspections that will be carried out in Istanbul”, added the Ministry. According to Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, the boat is loaded with 26,000 tons of corn.
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It should arrive at the entrance to the Bosphorus on Tuesday at midday, said Yörük Isik, a specialist in monitoring ship movements on the Bosphorus and in the region. Other convoys will follow this first departure while respecting “the (maritime) corridor and the agreed formalities”, according to the Turkish ministry. Signed on July 22 in Istanbul between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, the agreement allows the resumption of Ukrainian exports under international supervision. A similar agreement signed simultaneously also guarantees Moscow the export of its agricultural products and fertilizers, despite Western sanctions.
Alleviating the food crisis
These two agreements should help alleviate a global food crisis that has seen prices soar in some of the world’s poorest countries due to the blocking of Ukrainian ports by the conflict with Russia. Under the terms of the agreement, the vessels and their cargo are to be inspected in Istanbul, under the authority of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC). This center, responsible for controlling Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, was inaugurated on Wednesday in Istanbul in accordance with the agreement.
It brings together representatives of the two belligerents, as well as Turkey and the United Nations, represented by retired American Admiral Fred Kenney. The CCC has the tasks, according to the agreement, of validating and monitoring the merchant ships that will participate in the convoys, monitoring them via the Internet and by satellite, inspecting the ships at the time of loading in Ukrainian ports and upon their arrival in the ports. turks.