A bulk carrier laden with much-needed grain left the besieged Port of Odessa this morning, headed for Lebanon under convoy as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreed to by Russia and Ukraine over a week ago.
More than one vessel tracking service confirmed this morning that the Razoni bulk carrier was heading south towards the Bosphorus Strait where it was expected to stop at Istanbul for inspection.
The ship, with a deadweight tonnage of 29 292, is the first vessel to leave Odessa since Russian shelling of Ukraine started on February 24.
Since then some 80 vessels have idled in self-imposed custody at ports like Odessa, fearful of Russian attack in the event of transiting the Black Sea.
The initiative, signed towards the end of July in Istanbul at the behest of Turkey and the US, enables the recommencement of supply chain from Ukraine for a period of 120 days.
Although last Friday was initially earmarked for the first shipment under the initiative, last-minute technicalities unfortunately prevailed.
Speaking via social media, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, welcomed the departure of the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel – the first commercial ship to leave Ukraine’s Port of Odessa since February 26.
“Ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative,” Guterres said.
It is understood that the shipment is just in time to help Ukraine export last year’s grain before shipments of this year’s harvest commence.
