Vessels moving through the Ukraine ‘Grain Corridor’

So far, in excess of 622,000 tonnes of wheat have left Ukraine through the so-called ‘Grain Corridor’.

 

In July, Russian and Ukrainian officials signed a deal with Turkey and the UN in Istanbul to allow ships to transport grain out of the region via a grain corridor.

 

The agreement allows Ukraine to resume shipments of grain from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea — Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny — to meet massive demand from the global market, while Russia would be able to export grain and fertilizers.

 

It is expected that 22 million tonnes of grain and other agricultural products stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports due to the war will now be able to be transported out of the region via cargo vessels.

 

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia had halted exports, threatening world food security and caused prices of essential goods including cooking oils, fuels, fertilizer, wheat and barley to soar.

 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan oversaw the signing of The Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports Document.The agreement will establish a control centre in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials, that will run and coordinate the grain exports. The agreement includes provisions to check ships transporting the grain for weapons and for the safe passage of vessels along the grain corridor.

 

“This is an agreement for the world,” said Guterres at the signing ceremony.“It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy, and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine, and to help stabilize global food prices, which were already at record levels, even before the war,”

 

As of 18 August, a total of 43 vessels had sailed for grain shipments, according to Turkey’s National Defense Ministry.