The first ship loaded with Ukrainian grain awaits inspection

The Razoni vessel, with 26,000 tonnes of corn on board, left the port of Odessa (Ukraine) heading for Turkey and then the port of Tripoli, Lebanon.

© AP/SIPA

Text by: RFI Follow

3 mins

The

, the first grain ship to leave a Ukrainian port since the beginning of the Russian invasion, arrived on Tuesday August 2 off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey.

He must now undergo an inspection before being allowed to reach Lebanon.

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The

has passed the most difficult stage of its voyage: crossing the Black Sea from north to south without incident.

, under the agreement on the resumption of Ukrainian grain deliveries signed on July 22 by Kiev and Moscow.

After some 36 hours of navigation, the ship anchored in Turkish waters, off Istanbul, at the mouth of the Bosphorus Strait, reports our correspondent on site,

.

It is therefore there – at sea and not in a port – that he must go through another stage provided for in

: undergo an inspection of his cargo.

A team made up of representatives of the two countries at war, but also of Turkey and the United Nations, must go on board by boat to check that the

carrying what has been announced, that is to say 27,000 tonnes of maize destined for Tripoli, Lebanon.

This measure, required by Russia, aims to ensure that the bulk carrier does not contain weapons or ammunition.

The same procedure will be applied on the return trip, as soon as it enters the Black Sea.

The Istanbul-based joint coordination center, which oversees the entire operation since the ship's departure, did not specify the duration or technical details of this inspection.

16 other boats on the start

The goal now is for the

to continue its journey as quickly as possible, and clear the way for the other grain vessels waiting to set sail in the port of Odessa.

According to the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba, 16 other boats loaded with cereals are " 

 " to leave the main Ukrainian port, located on the Black Sea, which before the war concentrated 60% of the country's port activity.

Cereals have already left Ukraine since the start of the Russian offensive, but from Berdiansk, in the south-east of the country, on the Sea of ​​Azov, an area occupied by the Russians.

The agreement signed on July 22 by Russia and Ukraine, through the mediation of Turkey and under the aegis of the United Nations, allows the resumption of shipments to world markets of Ukrainian cereals blocked since the Russian invasion, under international supervision.

The document provides in particular for the establishment of secure corridors to allow the circulation in the Black Sea of ​​merchant ships and the export of 20 to 25 million tonnes of cereals.

A similar agreement signed simultaneously guarantees Russia the export of its agricultural products and fertilizers, despite Western sanctions.

Both agreements are expected to help ease the global food crisis caused by soaring food prices in some of the poorest countries.

On Monday, August 1, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres " 

 " welcomed Razoni's departure, expressing the hope that the resumption of Ukrainian exports, enabled by an international agreement, " 

 ”.

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