A boat carrying U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sails to a ship carrying Ukrainian grain, in Istanbul, Turkey on Aug. 20, 2022.MURAD SEZER/Reuters
Two more ships carrying grain have left Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said on Saturday, bringing the total number of vessels to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports under a U.N.-brokered grain export deal to 27.
The Zumrut Ana and MV Ocean S, which are authorized to depart on Aug. 20, were loaded with 6,300 tonnes of sunflower oil and 25,000 tonnes of wheat respectively, the joint co-ordination centre set up to enable safe passage said in a statement.
Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority said on Saturday three Ukrainian seaports had begun loading food onto seven ships, which would deliver 66,500 tonnes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil to consumers.
Ukraine’s grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports – a vital route for shipments – were closed, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.
At the end of July, three Black Sea ports were unblocked under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.
The Authority said on Facebook the port of Chornomorsk had moored the bulk carriers Andan Toplak, Filyoz and Maranta, while Odesa port had begun loading the Ganosaya and Kubrosli Y.
Bulk carrier Mohamad Y is waiting its turn, as well as the tanker Foyle, which is standing at the port of Pivdennyi.
The Authority said Ukrainian-origin food would be delivered to France, Sudan, Turkey and the Netherlands.
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Friday a further ten cargo ships were being loaded with grain in Ukrainian Black Sea ports and being prepared for shipment.
He said 25 ships had already been dispatched from the three Ukrainian ports, with about 630,000 tonnes of agricultural products on board.
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday the United Nations is also working with the United States and European Union to overcome obstacles to Russian food and fertilizers reaching world markets.
Guterres said that under the U.N.-brokered deal agreed in Turkey last month to resume Ukraine’s grain exports cut off since Russia’s invasion in February, more than 650,000 metric tonnes of grain and other food was already being exported.
“The other part of this package deal is the unimpeded access to the global markets of Russian food and fertilizer, which are not subject to sanctions,” Guterres said in Istanbul, where he visited a co-ordination centre overseeing the exports.
He said those countries that imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine had made clear that the measures did not apply to food and fertilizers, but added there had nevertheless been a “chilling effect” on exports.
“There are a certain number of obstacles and difficulties that need to be overcome in relation to shipping … to insurance and … finance,” Guterres told a news conference alongside Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.
Guterres said the United Nations was working with Washington and the European Union to remove those obstacles.
“Getting more food and fertilizer out of Ukraine and Russia is crucial to further calm commodity markets and lower prices for consumers,” he said.
Russia and Ukraine accounted for around a third of global wheat exports before Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, which Moscow calls a special military operation. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizer.