Istanbul inspection of first Ukrainian grain shipment begins

 

The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, loaded up with 26,000 tonnes of corn, has set sail from Ukraine's Odessa, with its final destination being Lebanon via Istanbul.

The ship is anchored off the coast of Istanbul, near the mouth of the Istanbul Straits that connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and on to the Aegean Sea. (AFP)

A delegation from the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul has started inspecting the first ship carrying grain to have left Ukraine since Russia attacked the country on February 24.

The Razoni, carrying over 26,500 tonnes of corn to Lebanon, anchored off the Turkish coast near the Black Sea entrance of the Istanbul Strait on Tuesday night.

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship departed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Monday, the first under a historic deal brokered by Türkiye and backed by the United Nations to resume grain shipments from blockaded Ukrainian ports.

Following Wednesday's inspections by a JCC delegation in Istanbul, where Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian and UN personnel are at work, the Razoni will sail on for Lebanon’s Tripoli.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the historic deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Pivdenni — for grain stuck due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is now in its sixth month.

First grain ship to leave Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's attacks arrives in Turkish waters for inspection under Türkiye-brokered historic deal pic.twitter.com/gkVUXP8KsO

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 3, 2022

Joint Coordination Centre

Under the deal, the Istanbul JCC will carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbours, and ensure the safety of sea routes to be used by merchant ships to carry commercial foods items and fertilisers from the three Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday "warmly" welcomed the departure of the Razoni, expressing hope "this will bring much-needed stability and relief to global food security especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts".

The halt of deliveries from Ukraine — one of the world's biggest grain exporters — has contributed to soaring food prices, hitting the world's poorest nations especially hard.

More ships from Ukraine are expected to set out in the coming days. Some 27 vessels have been waiting in three Ukrainian ports with cargo and signed contracts, ready to go, according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. 

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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