According to Turkish information, three other freighters with grain deliveries left Ukraine on Friday for the Bosporus. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, two ships left Chornomorsk and one in Odessa. According to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, where Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN staff work together, they loaded a total of 58,000 tons of corn. According to the online portal “Marine Traffic”, one of the ships – the “Navi Star” – is expected in Istanbul on Saturday afternoon (local time), details about the other ships are not yet available.
On the basis of an agreement brokered by Turkey and the UN on grain exports by sea, a cargo ship with grain – the “Razoni” – left Ukrainian-controlled territory for the first time since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression. Since then, no other ship with grain has set sail from there.
The “Razoni” has 26,000 tons of corn on board and docked in Istanbul on its way to Lebanon. There the cargo – as provided for in the agreement – was jointly examined on Wednesday by inspectors from Turkey, the UN, Ukraine and Russia before the ship continued its voyage.
The agreements to resume Ukrainian grain deliveries by sea were signed in Istanbul two weeks ago. Secure Black Sea routes are envisaged for these shipments.
In addition, the coordination center was established on the basis of the agreement in Istanbul, in which representatives of Ukraine and Russia as well as Turkey and the UN are to jointly monitor the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo ships on the specified routes. According to the Anadolu news agency, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar praised their “intensive work” on Thursday.
Up to 25 million tons of grain are blocked in Ukrainian ports as a result of the war, contributing to a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s largest grain producers.
