Two Iskenderun-bound grain ships leave Ukrainian ports
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The Turkish Defense Ministry confirms that two cargo ships carrying soybean and corn have left Ukrainian ports.
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Grain ship ARIZONA at the Port near Yuzhne (Reuters)
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, two vessels carrying agricultural products departed from the Ukrainian ports of Yuzhne and Chornomorsk on Monday morning, and their inspection will be carried out in Istanbul the next day, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said.
More ships to leave with more grains
“As part of the work of the Joint Coordination Center, grain shipments continue from Ukrainian ports. This morning, the ship SACURA left the Yuzhne port, carrying 11,000 tonnes of soybean. The ship ARIZONA carrying 48,458 tonnes of corn departed from Chornomorsk and is heading to [the Turkish city of] Iskenderun,” the Ministry tweeted.
On August 3, the first grain ship to leave a Ukrainian port during the war crossed through the Bosphorus Strait en route to Lebanon for a delivery that international powers hope would be the first of many to help alleviate a worldwide food crisis.
The Razoni set sail from Odessa on the Black Sea early on August 1, carrying 26,527 tons of grain, and arrived at the Bosphorus Strait on the night of August 2.
However, on August 7, the Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamie, said the Razoni ship, which is loaded with corn and was heading to Lebanon, has started changing its course.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred to the Black Sea initiative’s first grain shipment as an essential starting point, as another ship carrying corn, named POLARNET, departed Chernomorsk and prepared to arrive in the United Kingdom.
Turkey stated that it expects daily departures of grain ships from the Ukrainian port of Odessa, exporting fertilizer and grains.
Read more: Turkey expects daily departures from Ukraine following first sail
What is the Black Sea grain deal?
On July 22, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey signed the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne. The Joint Coordination Center, established in Istanbul, is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the initiative, including ensuring that cargo ships do not carry unauthorized goods or personnel.
The established corridor in the Black Sea was part of the agreement that not only would ensure an ease of the global food crisis but would guarantee it would not be a leeway for military purposes. This instigated the inspection process required for all grain ships, in fear of arms smuggling in empty vessels going back to Ukraine, and according to sources, only Turkish and UN officers have exclusive access to inspection.
