Ship carrying first cargo of Ukrainian grain expected in Istanbul ‘after midnight’

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain exported since the February 24 Russian invasion is expected in Istanbul “after midnight” today, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

The Sierra Leonean-flagged cargo ship Razoni, which left Odessa shortly after 09:00 (Greece time) yesterday, Monday, with 26,000 tonnes of maize bound for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon, was initially announced to be arrive in Istanbul early this afternoon.

According to the Turkish ministry, it is now expected to arrive in Istanbul “after midnight”.

The Razoni was overnight off the Romanian coast, but disconnected AIS, the automatic identification system that allows its course to be tracked, at around 02:00 this morning, according to data from the Marine Traffic website.

When asked about this, the Ministry of Defense did not immediately disclose the reasons for this movement of the ship, which allows it to disappear from radars.

However, he can thus escape from the media, who await his arrival at the entrance to the Bosphorus.

The truck was sailing yesterday, Monday, at a very low speed (7 knots) in Ukrainian waters due to the possible presence of mines, but then increased its speed, according to Marine Traffic.

It is to be inspected by a team from the Joint Coordination Center that oversees Ukrainian grain exports and ensures strict implementation of the agreement signed on July 22 between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN.

According to the procedure described by the authorities, “the ship will not enter the port of Istanbul, the inspections will be carried out at sea, at the point where it will anchor” at the Bosphorus entrance to the Black Sea.

The media has been warned to stay away: “Boats will not be allowed to approach the ship. The Coast Guard Command will take necessary action,” the Defense Ministry warned.