A grain shipment has left the port of Odesa for the first time in months, in a crucial test of a deal between Russia and Ukraine aimed at easing rising global food prices.
The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, carrying 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn, left the Black Sea port at 9:48 a.m. local time, the infrastructure ministry said, following weeks of negotiations brokered by Turkey and the UN.
It is the first such ship to leave Odesa since late February, when Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking a conflict that has left up to 47 million people worldwide at risk of acute starvation, according to the World Food Program. The Ukrainian government said another 16 ships were awaiting departure.
“This is a welcome first step in mitigating the global food crisis that was reinforced by Russia’s illegitimate aggression and blockade of Ukrainian ports, as well as the exploitation and destruction of fields in Ukraine” , an EU official said.
“We look forward to the implementation of the entire agreement. . . . The negative consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the blockade of Ukrainian ports are affecting the most vulnerable people in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.”
The Razoni was due to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Joint Coordination Centre, established under the UN-led grain deal.
After arriving in the city, he was expected to undergo checks at the center, which is staffed by Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials as part of the so-called Black Sea Cereals Initiative. Turkey’s defense ministry said the Razoni would bring its cargo to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed it as a “day of relief” for Ukraine’s major grain importers, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, while the U.S. Embassy United in Kyiv said it was looking forward to the “continued implementation” of the agreement.
The Kremlin described the ship’s departure as “extremely positive” news. Dmitri Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said the resumption of commercial maritime traffic in the Black Sea is “a good opportunity to test the effectiveness of how the mechanisms work” under an agreement signed in Istanbul to allow Ukraine export grain
“We hope that all agreements will be fulfilled by all parties and that the mechanism will work effectively,” Peskov said, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
The other 16 ships caught in Odesa and nearby ports after the invasion are carrying a small fraction of the more than 22 million tons of wheat, corn and other grains left in the country.
Ukraine said it was starting to accept requests for new ships to pick up grain and expected to reach capacity within weeks.
But ship owners entering Odesa are still working through the logistics of securing their ships, cargo and personnel, which was complicated by Russian missile attacks on the port late last month, which injured several people.
Private international operators are in a “wait and watch” mode, a person familiar with the matter said, as many ships have long been reassigned to different routes.
Russia claimed to have struck military infrastructure and sunk a Ukrainian navy ship, while Ukraine said the attack, a day after the agreement was signed, would jeopardize or delay the agreement’s implementation of exports.
Long known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine is the world’s fifth largest grain exporter. It accounts for 80% of Lebanon’s wheat imports and is a major supplier to countries such as Somalia, Syria and Libya.
Additional reporting by Alice Hancock in Brussels