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The

first shipment of Ukrainian grain

left the port of

Odessa

this Monday at 06:15 GMT, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The

Razoni cargo ship flying the

Sierra Leonean

flag

and loaded with maize departed Odessa port for Lebanon at 06:15 GMT," the ministry said, adding that other convoys would follow along the way. of the maritime corridors because the "procedures have been completed".

Signed on July 22 in Istanbul, the deal allowing Ukrainian exports to resume is aimed at alleviating a

global food crisis

that has caused prices to skyrocket in some of the world's poorest countries.

The ship should arrive at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, which separates the Black Sea from the Sea of ​​Marmara, around noon Tuesday (09:00 GMT), said Yorük Isik, a specialist in monitoring ship movements in the Bosphorus and in the region, although after the delay in departure it is possible that it will dock later than expected.

Built in 1996 and 186 m long by 25 wide, the

Razoni

has a hold capacity of

30,000 tons

.

The Joint Coordination Center (JCC), responsible for controlling Ukraine

's grain exports

through the Black Sea, was inaugurated in Istanbul on Wednesday in accordance with the agreement.

It brings together representatives of the two belligerents, as well as Turkey and the United Nations.

The CCC must register and control the merchant ships that will participate in the convoys, ensure their monitoring via the Internet and by satellite, have the ships inspected at the time of loading in Ukrainian ports and upon arrival in Turkish ports.

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