In accordance with a historic agreement intended to assist ease a worldwide food crisis brought on by the war, the first shipment of grain from Ukraine since the Kremlin’s invasion five months ago passed through Istanbul on Wednesday.
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 scrutinized for indications of the viability of the first accord agreed by Moscow and Kiev since Russia attacked its pro-Western neighbor.
A deal 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 passage of millions of tonnes of grain from Ukraine’s full silos and ports.
Ukraine is one of the world’s major grain suppliers and exports around half of the sunflower oil consumed globally.
A nearly full halt to its exports contributed to an increase in food prices worldwide and made imports unaffordable in some of the world’s poorest nations.
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 inspectors from the two warring sides, the UN, Turkey, and other organizations boarded the ship early on Wednesday for the legally required examination, which officials claim took less than 90 minutes.
