A senior UN official said Wednesday that a deal to move stranded Ukrainian grain that had been blocked in silos and Black Sea ports was working well, with more than 370,000 tons. said there was food for Staff moved in the first week.
"I think the 370,000 tonnes in the early stages of this operation is a very encouraging sign," said Fred Kenny, UN representative to the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center, who oversees the deal. .
The JCC has representatives from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations. Established under the Black Sea Grains Initiative signed in Istanbul on July 22, it monitors the safe movement of merchant ships entering and leaving ports in southern Ukraine for the purpose of exporting food products to international markets.
More than 20 ships have been stranded in Ukrainian ports since Russia invaded on 24 February.
"It is imperative for us now to put these ships out so that we can load the ships with cargo destined for ports that will contribute to alleviating food insecurity in the world," Kenny said. rice field. He is also the Legal Director of the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for regulating the global shipping industry.
He told reporters in a video call from Istanbul that the JCC would like shippers to cross the Bosphorus into the Black Sea and receive grain cargoes at the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Pivdeny. “Very ambitious,” he said (also known as the Yuzhny) confirmed that there are numerous empty grain ships awaiting contracts at anchorages in Turkey. Already he has four ships allowed to enter Ukrainian ports.
More than 20 million tons of grain await export to global markets. Global cereal prices have already started to fall since the initiative was signed about three weeks ago, according to the United Nations.
The role of the JCC is to ensure the safe passage of ships along the demarcated humanitarian corridors as much of the Black Sea is mined.
"So far, there have been no safety hazards with the passing vessels. No floating objects have been reported to pose a navigational hazard," Kenny told reporters.
The JCC is also tasked with locating unauthorized personnel and cargo. Such as food and illegal weapons that are not covered by the terms of the grain trade.
"We found nothing that violated the terms of the initiative," he confirmed.
Merchant ships leaving Ukraine were carrying corn, soybeans, sunflower meal and sunflower oil to destinations in Turkey, Britain, China, Ireland, Italy and South Korea. Kenny said the first ships coming in to pick up wheat have been cleared and should set sail next week.
He said of the voyage from Odessa to Istanbul that from one and a half days he would take two days. It will take him 2-4 hours for inspection in the Istanbul inspection area. From there, the vessel will transit the Black Sea on a mostly open route until it reaches the maritime border between Romania and Ukraine. Ships are prohibited from entering the humanitarian corridor from 9pm. Until 5am for visibility and safety reasons.
"We are looking at procedures to find ways to reduce time on the inspection side without sacrificing inspection accuracy and integrity," he said.
The JCC also monitors vessels to warn of military threats. Kenny said if there is activity near a maritime humanitarian corridor, vessels can be contacted immediately and ordered to stop or turn to avoid danger.