After more than five months of war, the first Ukrainian ship left the port of Odessa, in southern Ukraine, on Monday morning (1st). According to the country’s Infrastructure Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, the vessel is loaded with 26,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn.
Kubrakov said the ship left Odessa shortly after 9:30 am local time (3:40 am EDT), will undergo inspection in Istanbul, Turkey, before arriving at the port of Tripoli, Lebanon.
The Razoni, which is under the flag of Sierra Leone, will travel a corridor with security guaranteed by Turkey and the United Nations (UN).
Ukraine is the 4th largest corn exporter in the world, behind the United States, Argentina and Brazil. The unblocking of Ukrainian ports is considered essential to ensure global food security.
According to Kubrakov, the reopening of Ukrainian ports will provide at least US$ 1 billion for the country’s economy. On social media, the minister thanked the UN and Turkey for their export preparation work, and reinforced the support of Europe and the US to unlock Ukraine’s ports.
Another 16 ships are waiting their turn to leave the port of Odessa, Kubrakov said.
Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 to reopen Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea for grain exports. However, a day later, Russian missiles hit the port of Odessa and put the treaty between the two countries into question.
The attack was condemned by Ukrainian authorities and the UN, which reinforced Russia’s peace guarantees for the reopening of Ukraine’s ports.
Source: CNN Brasil
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