The first ship to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea has completed its first shipment, the AP and Reuters reported on the 29th (local time).
According to reports, the Office of the President of Ukraine has announced that a Turkiye vessel has finished loading grain at the port of Chornomorsk and that exports could begin soon.
“We are fully prepared,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky, who watched the loading operation site. “We have sent all signals to our partners, including the United Nations and Turkey. Our military guarantees safety.”
He also explained, “The Minister of Infrastructure is in direct contact with the UN and Turkiye counterparts. We are waiting for a signal to start from them.”
He also said that “a number of ships that have already finished shipping will start exporting grain.”
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov told reporters in Odessaan that “the preparations are complete”.
However, he added, “We are waiting for the UN to confirm a safe route for ships to navigate in sea areas where mines are located.”
Martin Griffiths, the head of the United Nations, emphasized that “the crucial details for a safe route still remain” and that “the work of confirming the correct coordinates is absolutely necessary.”
Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations, and Turkiye agreed on the 22nd to ensure the safety of sea routes so that grain tied to Ukrainian ports can be exported to the Black Sea in order to solve the global food crisis that has been heightened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the 22nd.
Accordingly, grain import/export vessels follow the guide line and navigate on a safe route, and are inspected at the Joint Control Center (JCC) to see if the vessel is loaded with weapons.
JCC opened in Istanbul, Turkey on the 27th.
Expectations are growing that if exports resume in earnest, 25 million tons of grain will be supplied within this year, helping to breathe life into the world food crisis.
However, some point out that grain exports may fall short of expectations due to various uncertainties, including safety issues caused by mines.
