Ankara 8 August : A cargo vessel that was carrying maize from Ukraine on Monday sailed into Turkey becoming the first ship to arrive at its destination after a deal was signed to allow the release of stocks of food items that were trapped in Black Sea ports since Russia began its invasion of Kiev in February.The Turkish-owned Polarnet reached Kocaeli in the Sea of Marmara, dpa news agency quoted state-owned newspaper Anadolu as saying in an article.
So far, 10 grain vessels have left Ukrainian ports according to the Turkish Defence Ministry, with the Razoni the first one to depart to Lebanon the 1st of August.
However it was delayed.
The shipment is taking place as a result of a deal made in July to let out millions of tonnes of grain that was encircled in the ports of Ukraine the major food producer dubbed the breadbasket of Europe.
The shipping is seen as crucial to stabilize grain prices in global markets, despite fears of food shortages in the Middle East and Africa.
In the agreement, Ukraine has pledged to lead vessels in waters that were mined, and Russia has pledged to not target the vessels or ports infrastructure.
The deal’s broker The deal’s brokers, the UN and Turkey are working together to in coordinating the exports and monitoring the exports to ensure that the vessels aren’t carrying weapons into the conflict zone.
Over 20 million tons of grain harvested from last year’s harvest are waiting to be exported, Ukrainian authorities had said earlier.
