The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure has announced that 17 vessels passed through the humanitarian maritime corridor that was established under the Black Sea Grain Initiative to allow ships to export grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine in the past two days, including two vessels heading for Ukrainian ports for loading.
"Three more vessels transporting 85,000 tons of agricultural products to African and European countries left the ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi today," the ministry said in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.
They include the Bomustafa O bulk carrier, which is transporting 22,800 tons of wheat to Libya, and the Nimet Torlak vessel, which is transporting 12,600 tons of meal to Morocco.
Two tankers entered Ukrainian ports to load oil for transportation to Jordan and Romania.
According to the statement, the Black Sea Grain Initiative’s Joint Coordination Center inspected 46 ships loaded with 1.7 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products on 31 October, thanks to the fact that the United Nations and Turkey have increased the number of inspection teams to 10.
"The number of inbound and outbound vessels waiting for inspection in the Bosporus has reduced to 147," the ministry said in the statement.
In the three months since the launch of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, 422 vessels have exported almost 10 million tons of agricultural products.
"This amount could have been 30-40% more if the Russian Federation had not blocked inspections in the Bosporus," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure noted that the United Nations and Turkey have emphasized the need to continue implementing the Black Sea Grain Initiative and approved the passage of vessels through the humanitarian corridor. Meanwhile, the United Nations and Turkey are continuing negotiations with the Russian delegation to find a solution that will allow full implementation of the initiative.
