Published: Less than 20 min ago
The first ship with Ukrainian grain may leave the port of Odessa on Monday morning, Turkish authorities say.
“The cargo ship ‘Razoni’, which sails under the flag of Sierra Leone and is loaded with corn, leaves the port of Odessa bound for Lebanon,” the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced.
According to the information, the ship would leave the port at 07:30 Swedish time and more loads will follow.
Razoni can load up to 30,000 tons, according to the site Marine Traffic.
The agreement between Ukraine and Russia reached over a week ago stipulates that cargo ships from three ports – Odessa, Pivdenny and Chornomorsk – will be guaranteed safe passage through the Black Sea.
Nearly 25 million tons of wheat and other grains have been stuck in Ukrainian ports, which are blocked by Russian warships and mines deployed by Kyiv to prevent an attack from the sea.
Ukraine is normally one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but exports have largely come to a standstill since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.