The Turkish cargo ship Polarnet, which left the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk on Friday with 12,000 tonnes of corn, arrived at its destination as scheduled after its inspection by the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) established in Istanbul under the terms of the international agreement signed in July , announced in a press release the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure.
"This first successful experience (...) allows us to be optimistic about future prospects", commented the Ukrainian Minister, Oleksandre Kubrakov, quoted in the press release and who thanked the Polarnet crew for having been one of the first to test this mechanism.
Russia and Ukraine signed two separate agreements on July 22, validated by Turkey and the United Nations, which allow exports of Ukrainian cereals blocked by the war since February 24 and those of Russian agricultural products despite Western sanctions.
The Razoni, a cargo ship flying the Sierra Leonean flag which left the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Monday August 1 with 26,000 tonnes of corn and which should have docked in Tripoli (Lebanon) on Sunday has still not arrived at its destination.
According to the Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon, "the end buyer in Lebanon refused to accept the cargo due to the delay in delivery terms (five months)".
"The sender is therefore looking for another recipient. This may be in Lebanon or in another country," the Ukrainian embassy added on Twitter.
A total of eight ships have sailed since the agreement was signed, Ukrainian authorities said Monday morning, hoping that three to five ships will be able to leave daily within two weeks.
© 2022 AFP