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Russia blocked the work of the "grain corridor"

30 Jan, 2023
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Russia blocked the work of the "grain corridor"

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The critically low rate of ships leaving ports remains - 2.5 per day.


Over the past week, 18 ships exported 664 thousand tons of food from the ports of Odessa region, which is one-third less than the volume of exports over the previous week. According to the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure, 60,000 tons of wheat were sent to Kenya, 56,000 tons to Bangladesh, and 60,000 tons of sunflower oil to India.

The rate of departure of ships from the ports remains critically low - 2.5 ships per day. This indicator was at the beginning of the "Grain Initiative", when export volumes were insignificant. At the same time, the number of vessels that undergo inspection in the Bosphorus and receive permission to move to Ukrainian ports for loading also is at most 3 vessels per day.

In the Bosphorus, the Russian side in the SCC continues to block the initiative's implementation and artificially increase the queue of vessels. As of today, 117 vessels are waiting for inspection in the territorial waters of Turkey (92 are bound for ports for loading, and 25 are already with agricultural products). Last week, only 20 inspections took place against the minimum required of 84.

The registration of vessels to participate in the initiative is also being slowed down: out of more than 80 declared vessels, the Russians register an average of only 2-3 vessels daily without explaining the reasons.

These factors inhibit the implementation of the "Grain Initiative": we are observing a decrease in export volumes by almost 30% compared to the previous month, and therefore the world does not receive agricultural products in the required volume. The vast majority of countries receive it with huge delays due to idle ships in the Bosphorus. We are waiting for the reaction of the partners in the "Grain Agreement" - Turkey and the UN.

Currently, 21 vessels are being processed in the ports of the Odessa region. Almost 1 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products are loaded. Only three vessels move along the "grain corridor".

Since August 1, 687 ships have left the ports of the Odessa region, exporting 18.9 million tons of Ukrainian food to the countries of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Under the condition of stable functioning of the "grain corridor", this indicator should be more than 28 million tons.


The Odessa Journal

The Odessa Journal

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