Cargo ships arrive at Ukrainian port through temporary corridor

Two cargo ships arrived at one of the ports of Ukraine during the weekend, using a temporary corridor of the Black Sea set by Kyiv after the departure of Russia of a war agreement aimed at guaranteeing the security of grain exports from the ports of the invaded country.

Aroyat and Resilient Africa, two Palau-flagged bulk carriers, docked on Saturday at the Chornomorsk seaport in the southern Odessa region, according to an online statement from the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. The ships are the first civilian cargo ships to arrive at one of Odessa’s ports since Russia abandoned the grain deal.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukrainian deputy prime minister, stated online on Saturday that the two ships will deliver about 20,000 tons of wheat to countries in Africa and Asia.

For months, Ukraine, whose economy relies heavily on agriculture, was able to safely export its grain from Black Sea ports thanks to an agreement negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey to ensure the safety of shipments. But Russia withdrew from the deal on July 17, when Kremlin officials argued that its demands to facilitate Russian shipments of food and fertilizer had not been met.

Following the withdrawal, the Russian Defense Ministry declared that any ship heading to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea will be considered a military target.

kyiv has since attempted to divert transport across the Danube River and away from road and rail connections to Europe. But the transportation costs by that route are much higher. Some European countries have balked at the resulting local grain prices, and Danube ports cannot handle the same volume as seaports.

The provisional corridor in the Black Sea, which Kiev has asked the International Maritime Organization to ratify, opened on August 10 as US and Ukrainian authorities warned of possible Russian attacks on civilian ships. Sea mines also make travel risky, and ship insurance costs are likely to be high for operators.

Ukrainian authorities stated that the corridor will be used mainly to evacuate ships that have been blocked in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi since the war broke out. Kubrakov stated on Saturday that five ships have since used the corridor to leave Ukrainian ports.

Source: AP