Ukrainian Black Sea ports resume work

The ports of Odessa, Hornomorsk and Pivden, destined for grain exports, resumed from work, Ukraine's Marina reported. But shipping ships are still waiting until safe navigation routes are defined.

Meanwhile, a centre for controlling Ukraine's grain exports across the Black Sea has opened in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Turkey believes the centre will make an important contribution to overcoming the food crisis, Turkish Defence Minister Hulus Akar said at the opening ceremony.

Base Control

Ships loaded with cereals that will leave the ports of Ukraine through the Black Sea will be checked in the Bosphorus Strait, both when they enter and even when they leave the Black Sea, to ensure they have no weapons or similar objects loaded.

The co-ordination centre will register commercial ships and track their movements via satellite, Akar said.

The co-ordination centre is part of an agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey on Friday in Istanbul for the removal of the Ukrainian port blockade. According to Akari in Ukraine, there are about 25 million tonnes of grain waiting to be exported.

Russia warns of crop deal failure

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko called in Moscow for grain exports from Ukraine and Russia to begin simultaneously and for obstacles to Russian grain exports to be removed quickly.

Rudenko told the Interfax news agency: “We always hope for the best, and we believe our partners will implement the two components of the agreement, which have to do with exports of cereals from Ukraine and removal of restrictions on Russian grain exports overall”.

Before the deal Russia had clearly declared that it would end the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, only against easing Western sanctions against it. /dw