The Razoni leaves the port of Odesa, Ukraine, on Monday. Credit… Oleksandr Gimanov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
BRUSSELS — The first grain-laden ship to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since the Russian invasion began in February was enjoying a smooth journey Tuesday and was expected to arrive at a Turkish port later in the day, as another ship prepared to follow suit, marking a full first day without incident in what has been a high-stakes advance for the warring parties.
The ship, the Razoni, loaded with 26,000 tons of corn, on Monday became the first ship to leave Odesa under an international agreement to allow the safe passage of this cargo. It was guided safely through Ukraine’s mined waters by a tugboat, which completed its escort mission when the bulk carrier reached the shore of Ukraine’s maritime borders with Moldova to the south.
The ship, crewed mostly by Syrians, is headed to the Lebanese port of Tripoli, but will first stop in Turkey to undergo an inspection. Local authorities said it was expected to arrive at midnight.
The Riva Wind, another bulk carrier moored in Odesa since February, has also loaded 50,000 tonnes of feed grain and is preparing to depart on its first voyage in nearly six months, its owners said in a statement on Tuesday. More than a dozen other ships are awaiting their cargo and instructions to leave, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Under the international agreement to break the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in intense diplomatic talks that lasted three months, the ships will be inspected by joint teams in Turkish waters. Turkey has said it expects one ship a day to leave Ukrainian ports under the deal.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said the ships will likely be screened at the entrance and exit of the Bosphorus, where they will queue to enter one of the world’s most important waterways. Ships returning to Ukrainian ports empty to load with larger ones will also be inspected before entering the Black Sea through the Turkish Bosphorus strait to ensure they are not carrying weapons, according to demands from Russia
The deal, under which Russia has pledged to grant safe passage to the ships, was reached last month and aims to first get more than 20 million tonnes of grain stuck at the facilities storage of Ukrainian ports around Odesa to world markets, and then create a predictable and steady flow of crops.
The amounts are huge and desperately needed around the world. Ukraine is one of the breadbaskets of the world, and shortages in the Middle East and Africa have fueled rising inflation and bread shortages, pushing some of the world’s most fragile nations close to starvation.
Ukraine had laid mines off its coast to quell a possible Russian amphibious attack. Now, under the deal to unblock its ports and resume bulk trade, Ukraine is providing the ships’ crews with guidance on how to navigate the mined waters, as well as escorts to help them.
Shipments, if they continue at a reasonable pace and safely, have the potential to make a significant difference to the overall supply and therefore the price of the major keys.
“If this broker is reasonably successful, it will go a long way toward easing grain shortages in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia,” said Michael Magdovitz, senior commodities analyst at Rabobank.
“We expect maize exports to double from nine million tonnes to 18 million to 22 million tonnes per year if the broker is even slightly successful,” he added. “To put the additional nine million tonnes of corn exports into perspective, the US and EU have nearly lost that amount of grain in the recent heat wave.”
However, experts say that even with Ukraine’s grain exports moving again, a global food crisis fueled by wars, the economic devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic and often extreme weather made worse by climate change.
Safak Timur contributed to this report from Istanbul.
— Matina Stevis-Gridneff