The first ship carrying grain departed a Ukrainian port early Monday under a United Nations-brokered deal aimed at relieving a global food crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The departure of the cargo vessel loaded with corn from Odessa came despite fears that the deal, signed in Istanbul in late July, would fall apart after a recent Russian attack on the port.
The Turkish defence ministry announced the beginning of shipment of the product on Monday.
Ukraine’s minister of infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, also said in a message on Twitter that the vessel was the first to depart the port of Odessa since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.
A Russian naval blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has halted grain exports, contributing to global food shortages.
“Thanks to the support of all our partner countries & @UN we were able to full implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul,” Kubrakov tweeted Monday morning.
.@antonioguterres warmly welcomes the departure of the M/V Razoni, the first commercial ship leaving Ukraine’s port of Odesa since 26 February 2022. Ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative.
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) August 1, 2022
Russia and Ukraine were among the world’s top producers and exporters of grain, cooking oil and fertilizers before Moscow’s invasion. Last year, Ukraine accounted for 10 percent of global wheat exports, according to the United Nations.
With more than 20 million tons of grain from last year’s harvest stuck in storage, the resumption of shipments by sea has been a top priority for the Ukrainian government. But Russia’s blockade has forced grain sellers to use alternatives, including river ports or costly overland routes, that have delayed deliveries.
The July 22 agreement signed in Turkey guarantees the safe passage of commercial ships from Odessa and two other Ukrainian ports. Set to remain in force for 120 days, it relies on monitoring of designated maritime corridors by delegations from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in Istanbul.
Turkey and the U.N. brokered negotiations for months amid disputes over the agreement’s terms, including security guarantees insisted upon by Ukraine. A Russian missile strike on Odessa’s port less than 24 hours after the deal was concluded threatened to scuttle it.
“Ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement welcoming the Razoni’s departure.
The Istanbul coordination center said in a statement that it had agreed to “specific coordinates and restrictions” along the maritime corridor and “requested all its participants to inform their respective military” and other authorities to ensure the Razoni’s safe passage.
The ship, it added, was carrying more than 26,000 metric tons of corn and was expected to arrive in Turkish territorial waters on Tuesday. Following inspection in Turkey, it would continue on to Lebanon, the statement said.
With TheCable, The Washington Post reports
