The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine reported that at 06:15 GMT this Monday the first ship carrying a grain cargo of 26,000 tons departed from the commercial port of Odessa on the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian portal Ukriform.
According to the same source, citing ministry officials, the vessel Razoni sails under the Sierra Leone flag and is en route to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon, loaded with Ukrainian corn destined for markets abroad.
Earlier, a Turkish government spokesperson shared that the initial shipment was expected to depart this morning after an agreement reached separately between Russia and Ukraine at the end of July to facilitate the release of Ukrainian grain.
The agreement positions Turkey as the guarantor and validator of the commitments, with Turkey alongside the United Nations directing the control center established to monitor the operations. [Attribution: Turkish government and United Nations statements]
The main aim of the pact is to reactivate Ukrainian grain exports and help ease the global food crisis that has intensified since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine last February.
Port authorities had faced several disruptions as a result of attacks on Odessa, one of the three ports designated for these shipments, drawing accusations from Kyiv and the international community that the agreement was being undermined by Russia.
In the ensuing period, demining operations were carried out and further delays occurred in the harbor waters, under the supervision of a team of experts from Turkey and other Western nations. [Attribution: international observers and Turkish experts]
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