Container ship JOSEPH SCHULTE (Hong Kong flag) has left the port of Odessa and is proceeding through the temporary corridor established for civilian vessels to/from the Black Sea ports of Ukraine.

On August 16, 2023, the container ship, which had been in the port of Odessa since February 23, 22, left the Vorontsov Lighthouse and is heading for the Bosporus. It is carrying more than 30 thousand tons of cargo (2 114 containers), including food products.

The corridor will be primarily used to evacuate ships that were in the Ukrainian ports (Chornomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhniy (Pivdennyi)) at the time of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

According to the Navigational Order of the Ukrainian Navy No. 6, temporary routes for civilian vessels to/from the Black Sea ports of Ukraine came into effect on August 8, 2023.

Ukraine offered this route in its application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO Council recognizes Ukraine's international right for free trade navigation and calls on Russia to stop any threats and comply with international conventions.

The vessel last sailed under the Grain Deal on July 16 from the port of Odessa. After the disruption of the Grain Deal, the Russian Federation resorted to systematic air attacks on port infrastructure to stop Ukrainian agricultural export. At the same time, there are information speculations and attempts of provocations in the Black Sea to influence the movement of ships to Ukrainian ports.