First Ship with Ukrainian Grain Returns to Turkey via Temporary "Humanitarian Corridor"
Today, the cargo vessel "Resilient Africa" successfully arrived in the Turkish Bosphorus, marking the first ship loaded with Ukrainian grain to enter and exit the Black Sea after Russia's withdrawal from the grain agreement and the military blockade of the Black Sea, as reported by Reuters.
The vessel departed from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk earlier this week, carrying three thousand tons of grain.
Recall that the agreement to extend the "Black Sea Safe Passage Initiative for Agricultural Products," which was concluded by Ukraine, the United Nations, and Turkey in July 2022, expired in July 2023.
The mirror agreement was signed by the UN, Turkey, and Russia.
On the day before the document's expiration, July 17, 2023, the Russian Federation sent its objections to Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN regarding the extension of the "grain agreement," which guaranteed the export of Ukrainian agricultural products during the war and effectively terminated its operation unilaterally.
In response, Ukraine, on August 10, proposed new temporary routes for merchant ships heading to/from Ukrainian Black Sea ports to bypass the de facto Russian blockade after Russia abandoned the agreement.
These routes are primarily used to facilitate the departure of civilian vessels that have been in Ukrainian ports such as Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
On September 16, after using the temporary corridor to exit from vessels previously blocked due to Russian aggression, the bulk carriers "Resilient Africa" and "Aroyat" confirmed their readiness to utilize the route to enter the port of Chornomorsk to load nearly 20,000 tons of wheat destined for African and Asian countries.
In an effort to improve access to Ukrainian grain and enhance global food security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his address at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, called on the UN to establish grain hubs in Africa and other food-deficit regions.
Romania, in its capacity at the UN, also called on Russia to end the blockade of the "grain initiative," which allows Ukrainian grain to reach African and Asian countries.