Here we go again. The three Ukrainian ports designated for grain exports have “resumed work”, even if efforts remain to be made to ensure the safety of convoys, the Ukrainian navy announced on Wednesday. “In connection with the signing of an agreement on the unblocking of Ukrainian ports for the export of grain, the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny have resumed work,” she said on Telegram.
“The exit and entry of ships into seaports will be done by forming a convoy that will accompany the lead ship. But this will be preceded by the hard work of hydrographers” to determine safe routes, the Ukrainian Navy continued.
Price spike
The government said on Monday it expects a resumption “as of this week” in Ukrainian grain exports, crucial for global food security, as food prices have soared since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
kyiv and Moscow have reached an agreement via mediation by Turkey and under the aegis of the UN to unblock some 25 million tonnes of grain stuck in Ukrainian ports. However, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly indicated that they do not trust Moscow to ensure the security of the convoys. The Kremlin, for its part, assured that it does not see any obstacles to the resumption of exports.
Mined land
These are also hampered by the presence of sea mines, disseminated by Ukrainian forces to guard against a Russian amphibious assault.
“Our military continues to do their job (…) to restore the functioning of maritime transport in order to avoid a global food crisis,” the Ukrainian navy said on Wednesday.