Two ships carrying grain from Ukraine

ISTANBUL – Reuters
Turkey’s defense ministry said it departed Monday from two Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea with cargoes of corn and soybeans, bringing the total to 10 since the first ship departed last week as part of a deal with Russia to lift a blockade on Ukraine’s grain. Exports.

The United Nations and Turkey struck the deal last month after warning that halting grain exports due to the conflict could lead to severe food shortages and even famine in some parts of the world.

The Sakura ship from Yuzni is carrying 11,000 tons of soybeans to Italy, while the Arizona from Chernomorsk is carrying 48,458 tons of corn to Iskenderun in southern Turkey, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

The four ships, which left Ukraine on Sunday, are expected to dock near Istanbul on Monday evening and be inspected on Tuesday.

The resumption of grain exports is being monitored by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, where Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and other UN staff are working.

According to Refinitiv ship tracking data, the first ship to depart, the Razzoni, was due to arrive in Lebanon on Sunday, but is currently docked off Turkey’s southern coast.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said on Sunday that the vessel Volmer S is ready for loading. It was the first foreign-flagged bulk carrier to reach the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk after the conflict.

The Osprey S, a second ship bound for Ukraine, was inspected in Istanbul on Sunday and is approaching Ukraine this morning, Refinitiv data shows.

Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kobrakov said Ukraine would begin exporting grain from the Black Sea port of Pevtny, which would allow it to export at least three million tons of goods and supplies per month.