Within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an UN-brokered deal between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN to collaborate on easing the global food security crisis, about 20,000 tonnes of Russian-made fertilizers left the port of Rotterdam on board the MV Greenwich from the southern Dutch port of Terneuzen on Tuesday afternoon, Dutch customs announced on Tuesday.

This marks the first batch of Russian fertilizers bound for Malawi since the conflict in Ukraine began and since the Black sea Grain initiative has been signed on July 22. 

"The ship has 20,000 tonnes of fertilizer on board destined for Malawi," Dutch customs official Pieter ten Broeke told reporters, adding that the ship left the port at around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT).

The ship is likewise the first of some 260,000 tonnes of Russian fertilizers stored in ports all across Europe, as well as "the first of a series of shipments of fertilizer destined for a number of other countries on the African continent in the coming months," the UN said in a statement issued in New York.

💬#Zakharova: For almost 3 months, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium & the Netherlands have been blocking Russian fertilizers in their ports

❗️ We call on the EU to take necessary efforts to ensure that poorest countries receive our fertilizers, which they need as much as they need food pic.twitter.com/4XVOHBhG8m

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) November 24, 2022

The UN was pushing for "intense diplomatic efforts with all parties to ensure the unimpeded exports of critical food and fertilizers from Ukraine and the Russian Federation, exempt from sanction regimes, to the world markets," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Dutch officials had the shipment blocked for months over the allegations that an individual connected to the fertilizer company was also included in the sanction list.

The UN received permission to set sail after they assured Dutch officials that the Russian company and the sanctioned individual will reap no gains from the initiative.

Malawi will receive the fertilizers via Mozambique. It will first be offloaded in the central Mozambican port of Beira and then transported overland.

According to the UN, a second batch will soon be delivered to West Africa.

On November 17, it was reported that the grain deal was renewed for an additional 120 days. It is part of a UN and Turkey-brokered package agreement that unblocks exports of Ukrainian and Russian grains and fertilizers via the Black Sea. 

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