ISTANBUL: On Wednesday, the first grain cargo from Ukraine since the Kremlin’s invasion five months ago passed through Istanbul as part of a historic agreement intended to help ease aglobal food catastrophe resulting from the fighting.
The journey of the Razoni, a ship flying the flag of Sierra Leone, from the Black Sea port of Odessa to Lebanon is being extensively scrutinised for indications of the viability of the first accord agreed by Moscow and Kiev since Russia attacked its pro-Western neighbour.
A pact reached by Turkey and the UN last month eased a Russian naval blockade of Ukrainian cities along the Black Sea and established conditions for the transit of millions of tonnes of wheat and other grains from ports and filling silos.
On Tuesday, the Razoni transported 26,000 tonnes of corn through a specifically approved passageway in the mine-filled Black Sea to the northernmost point of the Bosphorus Strait.
20 investigators from of the two warring sides, the UN, Turkey, and other organisations boarded the vessel early on Wednesday for the legally required inspection, which, according to officials, took less than 90 minutes.
An international team in Istanbul, including representatives from Russia and Ukraine, is monitoring the ship’s voyage.
