Since the beginning of the war
First wheat freighter leaves Ukrainian port
Harvesters harvest wheat in the village of Zhurivka. The first freighter with wheat is now set to depart from the Ukraine. photo
© Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa
Exports of grain and other staple foods from Ukraine have resumed. The first ships had corn and sunflower products on board – now the first wheat freighter is setting off.
The first wheat freighter since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression has left the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk. So far, since grain exports resumed, only corn and sunflower products have been shipped. The Sormovskiy 121 will transport a little more than 3,000 tons of wheat to Turkey, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Twitter on Friday.
At the same time, the Star Laura casts off from the port of Piwdennyj. It will bring over 60,000 tons of corn to Iran, it said. In Ukraine, the Ministry of Infrastructure confirmed the departure process and announced the arrival of two more ships for loading.
A total of 14 ships with more than 430,000 tons of cargo have left Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea since August 1 as part of an internationally brokered grain export agreement. Russia attacked Ukraine at the end of February and blocked the country’s ports. For its part, Ukraine had mined the approaches to the port for fear of a Russian invasion. At the end of July, the warring parties concluded agreements with Turkey and the United Nations, which are intended to guarantee a transport route for ships carrying agricultural goods from the war zone.