For the first time since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a ship with grains from the latter country set sail this Monday from the port of Odessa in the Black Sea, within the framework of a pact signed on July 22 in Istanbul that allows resume Ukrainian exports under international supervision.
“The ship ‘Razoni’ set sail from the southern port bound for Tripoli, in Lebanon. It is expected to arrive in Istanbul on August 2 and then continue the route to its destination, after the inspections that will be carried out there,” reported the Turkish Ministry of Defense, one of the official bodies that confirmed the news.
Maritime tracking programs such as Vesselfinder and MarineTraffic show that the ship began to leave the dock almost an hour late and shortly before 7:00 GMT passed the lighthouse that marks the entrance to the port. Arrival in Istanbul is scheduled for 1800 GMT on Tuesday.
A coordination center established in that city, with delegates from the three signatory countries, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, and from the United Nations, will be in charge of supervising the route of the ships and inspecting the cargo.
The ship, which flies the flag of Sierra Leone, is bound for Lebanon, after an inspection stop in Istanbul. Photo REUTERS/Serhii Smolientsev
According to the Turkish authorities, there is no danger of floating mines in the route of the ships. According to that ministry, other ships will set sail after this first shipment, respecting “the (maritime) corridor and the agreed formalities.”
Another source that gave an account of this fact was the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, who specified that the ship carries a cargo of 26,000 tons of corn.
An agreement similar to the one that allowed this situation guaranteed Moscow the export of its agricultural products and fertilizers, despite Western sanctions.
These two agreements must allow alleviate the global food crisisas a result of the spike in prices after the blockade of Ukrainian ports since the beginning of the conflict with Russia.
kyiv called the unlocking a “relief to the world”
The Ukrainian government described today as “relief for the world” the unlocking of Ukrainian grain, reflected this morning with the departure of the first ship from the commercial port of Odessa.
“It’s a relief especially for our friends from the Middle East, Asia and Africa,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said through his Twitter account. He added: “Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will continue to be as long as Russia respects their part of the deal.”
The start of operations was made difficult by several attacks against the port of Odessa, one of the three from which these transports must depart, amid accusations from kyiv and the international community against Russia of undermining the agreement.
This was followed by several demining operations in the waters of those ports and new delays, supervised by the control center coordinated by Turkey and a team made up of experts from other Western countries.
With information from EFE, AFP and AP.