First inbound ships reach Ukraine port after suspension of Black Sea initiative
Sep 17, 2023
Kyiv [Ukraine], September 17 : Two cargo ships, that had departed on Saturday arrived in one of Ukraine’s ports, using a temporary Black Sea corridor established by the government, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
Notably, this is the first cargo to reach Ukrainian ports since Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain initiative.
According to an online statement by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, two Palau-flagged bulk carriers docked at the seaport of Chornomorsk in the southern Odesa region.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister said in an online statement that the two ships will be delivering some 20,000 tons of wheat to countries in Africa and Asia, Al Jazeera reported.
Even though merchant shipping companies have started to use the temporary corridors, Ukraine’s navy has warned that "the military threat and mine danger from the Russian Federation remains along all routes,” CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Ukraine announced last month that it was setting up "temporary corridors" for civilian shipping after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
This came after Russia in July, pulled out of the initiative and said that Moscow won’t renew the agreement.
Notably, Russia and Ukraine are important global providers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and other agricultural products that are essential to developing countries, Al Jazeera reported.
he agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations which provided security guarantees for ships taking Ukrainian grain to world markets.
Under the initiative, vessels sailed to and from Ukraine while ship and cargo inspections were managed from Turkey. While the deal was in force, around 33,000 tonnes of grain left Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera.
