Three new ships loaded with grain will leave Ukraine on Friday, as part of the international export agreement

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said three new ships carrying grain would leave Ukraine on Friday (August 5th), the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. “The departure of the three boats is planned thanks to the intensive work of the Joint Coordination Center”said the minister, without specifying the port of departure of the ships. “Also, an empty ship should move to Ukraine after being inspected in Istanbul.”

A first shipment of 26,000 tonnes of maize left the port of Odessa on Monday. After an inspection by Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian experts off Istanbul on Wednesday, it resumed its journey to Lebanon. According to kyiv, 16 other boats loaded with grain were waiting to leave Odessa, the main Ukrainian port which before the war concentrated 60% of the country’s port activity.

This inspection marked the end of a “test phase” of operations to implement the international agreement signed on July 22 in Turkey to stem the world food crisis, said the secretariat of the Joint Coordination Center. Established in Istanbul, this center supervises the export of Ukrainian cereals and ensures the strict application of the text signed between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations.

>> War in Ukraine: how will grain exports unfold?

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.