The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain yesterday set off from the port of Odesa under a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey that is expected to release large stores of Ukrainian crops to foreign markets and ease a growing hunger crisis.
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni left Odesa for Lebanon, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said.
A statement from the UN said that the Razoni was carrying more 23,500 tonnes of corn.
Photo: Reuters / Press Service of the Ukrainian Naval Forces Command
Data from the ship’s Automatic Identification System, a safety tracker for ships at sea, showed the vessel slowly coming out from its berth at Odesa port yesterday morning alongside a tug boat.
Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov posted a video of the long cargo ship sounding its horn as its headed out to sea.
“The first grain ship since Russian aggression has left port,” Kubrakov wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to the support of all our partner countries and the UN we were able to full implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul. It’s important for us to be one of the guarantors of food security.”
The ship was expected to reach Istanbul, Turkey, today, where it was to be inspected before being allowed to proceed, the ministry said.
The corn would then head to Lebanon, a tiny Middle East nation in the grips of what the World Bank has described as one of the world’s worst financial crises in more than 150 years.
A 2020 explosion at its main port in Beirut shattered its capital city and destroyed grain silos there, a part of which collapsed on Sunday following a week-long fire.
As the Razoni moved toward the open water of the Black Sea, it changed its destination from Istanbul to Tripoli, Lebanon.
The Turkish ministry statement said other ships would also depart Ukraine’s ports through the safe corridors in line with deals signed in Istanbul on July 22, but did not provide further details.
Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the UN clearing the way for Ukraine to export grain and other agricultural goods that have been stuck in Black Sea ports because of Russia’s invasion.
The deals also allow Russia to export grain and fertilizers.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said that 16 more ships, all blocked since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, were waiting their turn in the port of Odesa.
Kubrakov said the shipments would also help Ukraine’s war-shattered economy.
“Unlocking ports will provide at least US$1 billion in foreign exchange revenue to the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan for next year,” Kubrakov said.
The UN welcomed the development, saying in a statement that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hopes it would be just the first of many commercial ships carrying Ukrainian grain abroad and “bring much-needed stability and relief to global food security especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts.”
The resumption of the grain shipments came as fighting raged elsewhere in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s presidential office said that at least three civilians were killed and another 16 wounded by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region over the previous 24 hours.
Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko repeated a strong call for all residents to evacuate. He particularly emphasized the need to evacuate about 52,000 children still left in the region.
In Kharkiv, two people were wounded by Russian missile strikes yesterday morning.
One was wounded while waiting for a bus at a stop and another was hurt when a Russian shell exploded near an apartment building.
Mykolaiv also faced repeated shelling, which triggered fires near a medical facility, destroying a shipment of humanitarian aid.
Analysts said that the continuing fighting could threaten the grain deal, making clients nervous.
“The danger remains: The Odesa region has faced constant shelling and only regular supplies could prove the viability of the agreements signed,” said Volodymyr Sidenko, an expert with the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank. “The departure of the first vessel doesn’t solve the food crisis, it’s just the first step that could also be the last if Russia decides to continue attacks in the south.”
RARE EVENT: While some cultures have a negative view of eclipses, others see them as a chance to show how people can work together, a scientist said Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red “Blood Moon” during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of yesterday morning. The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa. The phenomenon happens when the sun, Earth and moon line up, causing our planet to cast a giant shadow across its satellite. But as the Earth’s shadow crept across the moon, it did not entirely blot out its white glow — instead the moon glowed a reddish color. This is because the
DEBT BREAK: Friedrich Merz has vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to free up more money for defense and infrastructure at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty Germany’s likely next leader Friedrich Merz was set yesterday to defend his unprecedented plans to massively ramp up defense and infrastructure spending in the Bundestag as lawmakers begin debating the proposals. Merz unveiled the plans last week, vowing his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — in talks to form a coalition after last month’s elections — would quickly push them through before the end of the current legislature. Fraying Europe-US ties under US President Donald Trump have fueled calls for Germany, long dependent on the US security umbrella, to quickly
In front of a secluded temple in southwestern China, Duan Ruru skillfully executes a series of chops and strikes, practicing kung fu techniques she has spent a decade mastering. Chinese martial arts have long been considered a male-dominated sphere, but a cohort of Generation Z women like Duan is challenging that assumption and generating publicity for their particular school of kung fu. “Since I was little, I’ve had a love for martial arts... I thought that girls learning martial arts was super swaggy,” Duan, 23, said. The ancient Emei school where she trains in the mountains of China’s Sichuan Province
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on Friday failed to attend in person an initial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as he faces crimes against humanity charges over his deadly crackdown on narcotics. The 79-year-old, the first ex-Asian head of state charged by the ICC, followed by video during a short hearing to inform him of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant. Sounding frail and wearing a blue suit and tie, he spoke briefly to confirm his name and date of birth. Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc allowed him to
RSS