The Razoni ship leaves the port of Odesa, carrying 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn on board. Photo Command / Reuters of the Ukrainian naval forces
For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a ship with cereals from the latter country sails this Monday from the port of Odessain the Black Sea, under a pact signed on July 22 in Istanbul that allows resume Ukrainian exports under international supervision.
“The ship ‘Razoni’ has sailed from the southern port bound for Tripoli, Lebanon. It is expected to arrive in Istanbul on August 2 and then continue its route to its destination, after the inspections that will be carried out there”, said 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 started leaving the dock almost an hour late and just before 7:00 GMT passed the lighthouse marking the port entrance. Arrival in Istanbul is scheduled for 1800 GMT on Tuesday.
A coordination center set up in that city, with delegates from the three signatory countries, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, and the United Nations, will have the task of supervising the route of the ships and inspecting the cargo.
The ship, flying the flag of Sierra Leone, is headed 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 path of ships. According to that ministry, other ships will set sail after this first embarkation, respecting “the (maritime) corridor and the agreed formalities”.
Another source that made this known 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 to export its agricultural products and fertilizers, despite Western sanctions.
These two agreements must allow alleviate the world food crisisfollowing the surge in prices after the blockade of Ukrainian ports since the beginning of the conflict with Russia.
kyiv called unlocking a “relief to the world”
The Ukrainian government today described the release of Ukrainian grain as “relief to the world”, reflected this morning with the departure of the first ship from the trading port of Odessa.
“It’s a reliefespecially 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 its part of the deal. “
For the Ukrainian authorities, the release means “a relief to the world”, Photo Oleksandr Kubrakov / Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure / REUTERS
The start of operations was made difficult by several attacks on the port of Odessa, one of the three from which these transports must depart, amid accusations by 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 by a team of experts from other Western countries.
With information from EFE, AFP and AP.
IS
Source: Clarin