First ship from Ukraine reaches Turkey since Russia’s grain deal withdrawal

Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A civilian ship which departed from Ukraine’s Odesa port two days ago has reached Turkey’s Istanbul strait, reported Turkish state media on Friday, marking the first vessel leaving the Ukrainian port since Russia’s exit from the Black Sea grain in mid-July.

The grain deal, signed between Kyiv and Moscow in July last year, allowed for the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea for the first time since the start of Russia’s invasion. Russia withdrew from the grain deal last week, sparking concern over a global food crisis and threat to Ukraine’s farming industry.

The ship, jointly owned by Germany-based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement and a Chinese bank, set sail from Odesa on Wednesday through a civilian corridor passing though the territorial waters of Ukraine, Romania, and Turkey.

The vessel entered the Istanbul strait in the early morning hours of Friday, according to Anadolu Agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday referred to the ship’s departure as “an important step toward restoring the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.”


Putin accused US and European trading firms of exploiting the grain deal to enrich their own businesses by reselling the Ukrainian grain to high and upper-middle income countries, saying that only three percent of the supplies had been exported to poorer countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia in Africa, as well as Yemen and Afghanistan in Asia.

Russia is the world’s top wheat exporter and Ukraine is known to be the breadbasket of Europe, with the Middle Eastern states heavily relying on Ukrainian agricultural products. Further disruptions to exports threaten global food security.

The deal allowed for nearly 33 million tons of grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports to the global market, according to AFP.