The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) has so far authorized 12 vessels to depart Ukrainian ports and is expecting an increase in interest from ship owners, according to Frederick Kenney, interim Coordinator for the United Nations at the JCC for the Black Sea Initiative.

"We have so far authorized 12 vessels to depart the Ukrainian ports, carrying over 370,000 metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs. Those vessels had been stranded in the three ports covered by the initiative when the war started," Kenney said during a United Nations briefing on the progress of exporting grain and fertilizer from the region.

Kenney revealed that ship owners have expressed a strong desire to participate in this transit, and the JCC team anticipates a significant increase in applications.

Read next: Ukrainian corn shipments depart Black Sea, JCC to inspect

One inspection would take two to four hours on average, and the inspections are not conducted over the night due to safety reasons, he noted.

Kenney also praised actors who enabled the Black Sea Initiative to succeed and expressed his satisfaction with the level of cooperation.

Ukraine and Russia signed the United Nations-brokered Black Sea Initiative on grain and fertilizer exports on July 22.

Read next: Three ships expected to leave Odessa as Ukrainian grain export resumes

Grain and fertilizer would be exported from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny under the agreement, and cargo carriers would be guided into international waters by Ukrainian vessels to avoid mined areas. Then the vessels would proceed toward the Bosphorus Strait along an established corridor.

The parties also established the JCC in Istanbul on July 27, which includes representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations. The JCC monitors the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative and inspects cargo ships to ensure that no unauthorized goods or personnel are aboard.

Second cargo enters Ukrainian Port under Grain deal: Kiev

A second cargo ship arrived in the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk in the Odessa region to pick up a load of corn on Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry. "A second vessel has arrived for loading in the port of Chornomorsk," the Ministry said.

The Turkish freighter OSPREY S will export 30,000 tonnes of corn from Liberia. On August 6, the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier FULMAR S arrived in Chornomorsk.

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Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement in Istanbul last month after the United Nations and Turkey brokered to resume grain shipments from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports amid the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian grain exports are expected to alleviate global food shortages.