Where the Razoni will he land? The first grain boat to leave Odessa on August 1, thanks to agreements signed between Russia and Ukraine, did not reach the Lebanese port of Tripoli on Sunday as originally planned. While it was to be the symbol of the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports, the ship is still immobilized, Monday, August 8, off the Turkish coast. On Saturday, the Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon, questioned by AFP, stuck to this simple message: “We would like to inform you that tomorrow’s scheduled arrival of the ship Razoni has been postponed.”
What does the “Razoni” carry?
The boat left the port of Odessa on August 1 with 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn bound for Lebanon. The cargo was inspected by the Joint Coordination Center during a stopover in Istanbul, in accordance with Moscow’s requirements, to ensure that ships from or to Ukraine contain only cereals. The freighter successfully cleared and resumed its journey to Tripoli on August 3.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Beirut had welcomed the imminent arrival of the ship for “help alleviate the food crisis currently experienced by Lebanon”. Unloading all the goods should take “about 10 days”according to a document seen by The echoes.
Why didn’t he land in Lebanon as planned?
It should have docked in Tripoli, Lebanon on Sunday, but the Razoni is at a standstill off the Turkish coast. According to the Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon, “the end buyer in Lebanon refused to accept the shipment due to the delay in delivery terms (five months)”. “The sender is therefore looking for another recipient. This can be in Lebanon or in another country”explains the embassy, which had to cancel the ceremony planned to celebrate the arrival of the freighter.
“The goods will be offered for sale to those who wish to buy them, not necessarily in Lebanon”confirmed Ahmad Tamer, director of the port of Tripoli< at Echoes.
Is the agreement between Russia and Ukraine in question?
No, the exports continue. Besides the Razoni, seven more ships have sailed since the agreement was signed. Three grain cargo ships left Ukraine on Friday August 5th. As the Razoni, they transport maize, but bound for Ireland, England and Turkey.
One of them, the Turkish freighter Polarnethas also arrived at its final destination in Turkey, with 12,000 tons of corn, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure announced in a press release. “This first successful experience allows us to be optimistic about future prospects”commented Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Four more ships left Ukrainian ports on Sunday. Three of the cargo ships departed from Chornomorsk, the last departed from Odessa. They contain four “about 170,000 tons of agriculture-related goods”, according to the ministry. The Ukrainian authorities hope that, within two weeks, three to five ships will be able to leave daily.