At least six ships cargoes of grain, including the Ikaria Angel, chartered by the World Food Program and bound for Djibouti carrying 30,000 tons of wheat, passed through the maritime humanitarian corridor bound for the Bosphorus and Turkey, according to Marine Traffic.
Traffic resumed today in the Black Sea, along the maritime humanitarian corridor that allows the export of Ukrainian grain, despite Russia’s temporary withdrawal from the international agreement.
The Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which oversees the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, announced that a total of twelve ships are expected to depart from Ukrainian ports today.
UN Grains Initiative Coordinator Amir Abdullah said this morning on Twitter: “No civilian ship can ever be a military target or held hostage. Food must pass.” Shortly after, Ukraine confirmed the departure of 12 ships. The 354,500 tons of grain they carried is much more than is usually carried in one day.
Erdogan: We are determined to continue
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the JCC, which includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN, announced that the delegations of Turkey and UN will provide additional reimgs to inspections and that ten teams are expected to inspect 40 ships bound for Ukraine today.
The JCC clarified that it “secured the agreement of Ukraine. The Russian delegation has been informed”, he noted, underlining that the latter “expects to continue the dialogue with Turkey and the UN. The delegation of the Russian Federation also stated that it is ready to cooperate remotely on the points that require an immediate decision.
After a break on Saturday, eleven ships were inspected on Sunday. On Sunday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense continued the meetings with the other parties to the agreement and, on this occasion, “reminded the parties of the importance of continuing this initiative (…) and avoiding any provocation that will have negative results,” APE reports. -MEP, citing Reuters and AFP.
The grain deal
The agreement on Ukrainian exports of grain which came into effect on August 1st expires on November 19th. It allowed more than 9.3 million tons of grain and other products to be exported from Ukraine. According to the JCC, 40% of the cargo was destined for developing countries.
A separate agreement signed with Russia, and without Ukraine, was also expected to facilitate exports of Russian fertilizers and agricultural products, but was never implemented.
The sluggishness of operations in the Bosphorus has been particularly criticized by Ukraine, which has accused Russia of delaying inspections.
Up to 170 ships, originating from or bound for Ukrainian ports, waited last week sometimes for almost a dozen days, off Istanbul for inspection so they could continue their journey.
*photo by marinetraffic.com
Source: News Beast
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
