Because of the Ukrainian grain accumulation

UN calls for faster inspection of ships

A grain cargo ship awaits its turn for inspection at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey.

Reuters

With nearly 100 ships laden with grain about to arrive in Istanbul, the United Nations official overseeing exports from Ukraine is asking Russia and other parties to end "full" inspections of departing ships to ease the congestion.

Ukraine has exported more than 6.8 million tons of grain and other foodstuffs, about a third of its stock, since a sea lane opened in July from the war-torn country.

The United Nations says the safe transit agreement signed by Moscow and Kiev has eased a global food crisis.

But as more shipping companies joined in, the few teams inspecting the cargo and crews of ships crossing Turkish waters began to be unable to keep up with the increasing numbers, leaving dozens of tankers anchored in the Marmara Sea.

The UN coordinator of the Black Sea Grain Shipping Initiative, Amir Abdullah, said he had proposed faster, targeted inspections of ships coming from Ukrainian ports.

The four parties to the agreement, Russia and Ukraine, mediators Turkey and the United Nations, are currently negotiating an extension and possible expansion of the November 19 deadline.

In the context of those talks, Abdullah said in an interview with Reuters at the Joint Coordination Center, which is run by four parties, in Istanbul: "There will be a need for change, and I hope we can negotiate to do (inspection) in a better way."

A Reuters analysis found that 97 departing ships carrying about 2.1 million tons of cargo were waiting for inspections, the day before yesterday, including a ship that had been parked for 35 days.

The Joint Coordination Center said that the number of ships accumulated reached 120, last week, and includes empty ships returning from Ukraine.

Abdullah said, "There should be an inspection, but it should not be a full inspection. I have suggested, perhaps, a partial inspection or the inspection of certain ships."

Reuters analysis found that delays increased from mid-September as inspection wait times doubled to nearly 10 days by September 21.

70% of the ships that left Ukraine after that date are still waiting for inspections.

Neither the Kremlin nor the Russian Defense Ministry responded to requests for comment on the revision of the inspections.

Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky told Reuters last week that officials in Istanbul "did not explain enough" why inspections had "slowed down" in the past two weeks.

Abdullah said that the accumulation of ships is due to the increase in the amount of exports and the lack of readiness on board some ships, such as the lack of necessary testing equipment, fumigation disinfection and documents.

Abdullah is pressing for permission from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey to double the number of inspection teams to eight. "Frankly, we need to do more," he said.

The Joint Coordination Center said it conducted more than 500 inspections at a rate of 10 to 11 per day in September and October, up from four, but the lack of readiness on board the ships meant that the inspectors needed to turn up again on 50 occasions.

Russia has criticized the grain agreement, complaining that the obstruction of its exports continues, and may refuse to extend the agreement.

After more shipping companies joined, the few teams inspecting goods and crews of ships crossing Turkish waters began to fail to keep up with the increasing numbers, leaving dozens of tankers anchored in the Marmara Sea.

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