The grain delivered by the cargo ship “Razoni” from Ukraine was apparently to be transported from Lebanon to Syria. Traders would probably have wanted to sell part of the expected shipment of corn in Lebanon and ship the rest overland to neighboring Syria.
That said two Lebanese government representatives of the German Press Agency on Sunday. The ship, meanwhile, halted its voyage and was anchored about a good day’s drive from Lebanon on Sunday.
The “Razoni” – loaded with 26,000 tons of corn – had left the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa on Monday – as the first ship under the relevant agreement. After an inspection off Istanbul on Wednesday, the freighter headed for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.
The small country is in the middle of the worst economic crisis in its history and before the war in Ukraine imported more than 70 percent of its grain from there.
There was “a lot of hype” about the “Razoni,” said Hani Bushali, president of the Consortium for Food Imports in Lebanon. “The world envisions a relief ship to rescue the Lebanese from their financial misery. Frankly, that’s not the case,” Boshali said. “Lebanon needs wheat, not corn.”
Until now, no one has publicly claimed the property on the Razoni. There will only be more clarity when the ship actually docks and the cargo is unloaded.
More than 20 illegal border crossings lead from Lebanon to the civil war country Syria. Most of these are controlled by Iran-allied Hezbollah. The export of food to Syria is legal, but is made more difficult by Western financial sanctions against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah smuggles food and medicine into Syria on a large scale.
The “Razoni” was actually expected on Sunday in Lebanon. According to the Marinetraffic website, however, she unexpectedly changed course during the journey.
