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Within two weeks, Ukraine will be able to increase the volume of transshipment to three to five ships with grain per day thanks to the opportunity to use all three seaports of “Great Odesa” within the framework of the Istanbul Grain Initiative, Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said, the Administration of Seaports of Ukraine reported.
“Our goal is to increase transshipment in the ports. Within two weeks, we plan to reach a volume of transshipment of 3-5 vessels per day,” said Kubrakov in connection with the dispatch of the first vessel from the Pivdenny port – Sacura with 11,000 tons of soybeans for of Italy
Before that, eight ships with corn, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil with a total tonnage of more than 250,000 tons left the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk as part of the grain initiative. Four of them with 84.5 thousand tons have already arrived in Istanbul and have passed or are passing inspection by the Joint Coordination Center (JCC).
Read also: First ship with Ukrainian food since February leaves Pivdenny Seatport
The total number of ships together with the ship Arizona, which left on Monday from Chornomorsk to Turkey, reached 10 with 48.500 tons of corn, and their tonnage is about 310 thousand tons.
Also, as part of the Istanbul grain initiative, the first vessel for loading since the beginning of the war arrived at the Ukrainian port on August 7, and the second on the same day was inspected by the SCC near Istanbul.
Kubrakov emphasized that Ukraine is working with the guarantors of the agreements so that the “grain corridor” works without interruption and all shipping requirements are met.”
If Russia fulfills its obligations regarding the ‘grain corridor’, Ukraine will continue to guarantee the stability of food exports to the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry assured.
After the outbreak of a full-scale war on February 24, 2022, a significant part of the southern territory of Ukraine was blocked. Therefore, the ability of Ukraine to export goods by sea was eliminated.
Ukraine blamed a Russian blockade of its ports for the halt in grain shipments. At that time, Moscow blamed mines in the water placed by Ukraine as protection from a Russian amphibious assault.
In a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last month, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to resume shipments of wheat and other grain from three Ukrainian ports. It was for the first time since Russia invaded more than five months ago.
The halting of grain shipments from Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest grain exporters, contributed to a spike in food prices and caused concern about countries in the Middle East and Africa receiving enough grain and other commodities to feed their populations.
