ISTANBUL: As part of a recent grain export deal signed between Turkiye, the United Nations (UN), Russia, and Ukraine, the first ship departed from the port of Odesa on Monday, according to an official announcement.
Loaded with corn, the Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni left Odesa at 8.30 am local time (0530GMT), as agreed by the sides of the accord, Anadolu Agency quoted the Turkish Ministry of National Defence as saying in a statement.
Turkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny -- for grain that has been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.
To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, a joint coordination centre in Istanbul was officially opened Wednesday, comprising representatives of Turkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine to enable the safe transportation, by merchant ships, of commercial foodstuffs and fertilisers from three key Ukrainian ports.-Bernama