The first ship with Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa on Monday morning.
"On August 1, at about 9:20 Moscow time, the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni dry cargo ship left the port of Odessa, as part of the Initiative on the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Earlier it was reported by the Turkish Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry.
The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni dry cargo ship, which was the first to leave with a grain cargo from a Ukrainian port as part of the ‘food deal’, is due to arrive in Istanbul on August 2.
It notes that after being inspected at a sea control point near Istanbul, the ship will pass through the Bosphorus Strait and head for its destination. The dry cargo vessel is carrying more than 26,000 tonnes of grain and is bound for the Lebanese port of Tripoli.
It was previously reported that the first caravan with the Ukrainian grain will consist of 16 dry cargo ships. It will be escorted by drones. In addition, representatives of the Istanbul-based joint grain export coordination center will monitor the passage of vessels using satellites.
The Kremlin has welcomed news of the first shipment of grain from Odesa as “very positive” news. “As for the departure of the first ship, this is very positive. A good opportunity to test the effectiveness of the mechanisms that were agreed during talks in Istanbul,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Let’s hope that all the agreements will be implemented from all sides, and that the mechanism will work effectively.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the departure of the first ship carrying grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa to global buyers, his spokesman says. “The secretary-general hopes that this will be the first of many commercial ships moving in accordance with the Initiative signed, and that this will bring much-needed stability and relief to global food security especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts,” Stephane Dujarric said, adding that ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative.
