On August 1, the ship RAZONI under the flag of Sierra Leone, left the Odessa port with 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn. This is the first ship that left the Ukrainian Black Sea port during the full-scale war.
Taras Vysotsky, the First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, told on the air of the national marathon where the ship was headed, what mechanism of export of agricultural products was agreed through the Black Sea ports, and what volumes of grain will be exported.
Corn is exported to North Africa. As part of the monitoring of our four-way Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul, we are primarily talking about the passage to the Bosphorus, then the free trajectory according to the classic routes of the corresponding commercial vessels.
Taras Vysotsky
He added that this SCC increased the surveillance of ships from Ukraine, because it guaranteed all security points.
According to the words of the First Deputy Minister, today, there are confirmations of technical readiness of about 15 vessels; two are being finalized. Then there will be two-way traffic, including the approach of ships for loading.
First of all, they are aimed at the transportation of grain crops: corn, wheat, barley, and then also oil crops and processed products.
Each of the ships can carry from 10 to 60 thousand tons.
Regarding the conditions, according to the agreements, as Taras Vysotsky, the movement of cargo ships should be only during daylight hours. In addition, for safety, they are accompanied by a mine-resistant swimming device.
There are no restrictions on the number of ships that can ply. However, there are submitted applications and an agreed schedule - so everything should happen according to it, he explained.
Taras Vysotsky also stressed that unlocking the Black Sea ports would help Ukraine. So, Ukrainian farmers will receive income from the sale of these products. Next, they pay taxes to the state and local budgets, which will significantly support the communities of Ukraine, and pay wages to their employees. These are significant amounts, because 50 million tons of exported agricultural products are valued at a minimum of $15 billion.
