Three grain-loaded ships depart Ukrainian ports

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Three vessels loaded with agricultural products left Ukrainian ports as part of the UN-brokered grain deal, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said on Saturday.

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry informed that 39 ships had already used the Black Sea corridor for food exports.

"Work on grain shipment in Ukrainian ports continues. As of this morning, three more ships with grain cargo departed from Ukrainian ports," the ministry said on Twitter.

On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed the grain deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships to carry food and fertilizers from the Black Sea ports. Three key Ukrainian ports — Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne — were unblocked to resume exports.

Read more: Turkey: New route to export grain under Black Sea grain initiative

On Thursday 25, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul announced in a statement that a new route to export grain under the Black Sea initiative has been established from three Ukrainian ports. 

This decision came in response to drone attacks that occurred at Russia's Black Sea Fleet’s headquarters on August 20.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said right after the incident that Russian fertilizers and agricultural products must be able to reach world markets "unimpeded" or a global food crisis could strike as early as next year.

Since the agreement has been put into effect, Ukraine has shipped one million tonnes of foodstuff from its three Black Sea ports under the UN-backed grain deal, according to Ukrainian media outlets. 

Read more: Guterres: signs of a declining food crisis as grain deal strives