The first ship with Ukrainian grain has already left Odessa.
This is reported by the Turkish TV channel CNN Türk.
The export will take place within the framework of the "grain agreement" between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN. Control over the work of the maritime corridor and the security of the operation is entrusted to the coordination center in Istanbul.
The Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, previously announced on Facebook that today, for the first time since February 24, a ship loaded with Ukrainian food is expected to leave the Odesa port. It is about the vessel RAZONI, which, under the flag of Sierra Leone, is heading to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon. It will move along a corridor whose safety has been confirmed by our guarantor partners - the UN and Turkey. There are 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn on board.
"Ukraine is the 4th largest exporter of corn in the world, so the possibility of exporting it through the ports is a colossal success for ensuring global food security. Today, Ukraine, together with its partners, is taking another step towards preventing world hunger. Unblocking the ports will provide at least $1 billion in foreign exchange revenues for the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan next year's sowing," he noted.
"We are grateful to the partners who, despite the difficulties, did not stop the work on preparing for export. Together with the representatives of the UN and Turkey, internal operational regulations have already been worked out. For its part, Ukraine did everything to restore the work of the ports and all involved enterprises. It is important to note the unwavering support from the American and European partners on the way to unblocking Ukrainian seaports," Kubrakov adds.
"It was a difficult journey lasting 3 months. All this time, the process of negotiations and agreement on security issues was monitored by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. We worked in coordination with the Head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, and the Chief of the Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kyryll Budanov, with the support of the government team of the Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. I am grateful to the AFU for the opportunity to conduct negotiations on Ukrainian terms," he noted.
According to Kubrakov, 16 more ships are already waiting for their turn in the ports of Greater Odessa. These are the vessels that have been blocked since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
"At the same time, we will receive applications for the arrival of new vessels to load agricultural products. In the coming weeks, with the support of our partners, we plan to reach the full capacity of the transshipment of agricultural products," - summarizes the Ukrainian minister.
We will remind, on July 22, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN signed an agreement on the export of grain. The document provides for the restoration of safe export of Ukrainian agricultural goods through the Black Sea from three ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Southern.
According to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, unblocking seaports is a multibillion-dollar issue for Ukraine's economy.
On July 23, the Russian occupying forces hit Odesa with Kalibr missiles. A sea trade port was hit. The shock wave damaged the surrounding houses, but the grain store was not damaged.
The next day, the Russian Federation officially admitted that it had launched a missile attack on the port of Odesa. Allegedly, Kalibr missiles "destroyed the object of the military infrastructure of the Odesa port" and a military boat.Наступного дня у РФ офіційно визнали, що завдали ракетного удару по порту Одеси. Нібито ракети "Калібр" "знищили об'єкт військової інфраструктури одеського порту" та військовий катер.
As previously reported by the Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, the agreement signed in Istanbul, according to which grain and other foodstuffs will be exported from the ports of Ukraine, provides for the creation of a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul with the participation of representatives of Ukraine, Turkey, the UN, and Russia, which will deal with general supervision and coordination of implementation agreements; registration of vessels bound for unblocked Ukrainian ports; approving transit schedules and ships entering ports.
On July 26, all parties reaffirmed their obligations under the grain agreement following Russia's missile attack on the Odesa port.