Grain Ship Leaving Ukraine Anchors Off Istanbul for Inspection
The first grain-laden cargo ship leaving the Ukrainian port under a UN-brokered deal anchored off Istanbul on the Black Sea on Tuesday, waiting to be inspected by the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) before it resumed the voyage to Lebanon.
The Turkish Defence Ministry tweeted that the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, which left Odesa early on Monday with 26,527 tonnes of corn reached the Black Sea entrance of the Bosphorus Strait and anchored at an assigned point.
The ship received an inspection by representatives from the JCC on Wednesday.
The ministry organised a special programme at a location on the shore with a perfect view of the site to enable press members to cover the delegation’s boarding the ship.
Once cleared, it would pass through the strait, sailing toward the Mediterranean as planned, and the JCC would closely monitor the vessel until it arrives at the destination.
“The route and the humanitarian corridor that the ship follows, possible needs, and the details and preparations regarding its inspection are carried out in line with the procedures and principles agreed at the center,” Turkish Rear Admiral Ozcan Altunbulak said.
He also said currently, the preparations of the other ships that will carry grain and other foodstuffs from the three ports of Ukraine are continuing.
The JCC was inaugurated in Istanbul last week. It has a total of 20 representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Türkiye to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with Türkiye and the United Nations to allow food and fertilizer exports from the Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi.