Since July, six vessels left Ukrainian seaports under grain deal - Restoration Ministry

According to Ukrinform, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry for Restoration) reported this on Facebook.

"Since July, six ships have left the Black Sea ports. In total, only 215,000 tonnes of agricultural products were loaded on them," the statement said.

It is noted that as of July 11, 85,000 tonnes of grain for Egypt are being loaded at the Odesa port. These are the last two bulk carriers that were waiting to be loaded.

The ministry emphasizes that there is no longer any fleet available for loading in the port of Chornomorsk. The last ships with agricultural products were sent last week to China and Tunisia. The Pivdennyi port has been out of service for over 2 months because Russians are blocking all ships heading there.

It is reported that since June 26, Russians have refused to inspect ships sailing to Ukrainian ports for loading. Currently, 29 ships that are supposed to deliver over 1.4 million tonnes of agricultural products to Asia and Africa are currently blocked in Turkish territorial waters.

"Ukrainian agricultural products play a significant role in the world's food security. A complete halt to the export of Ukrainian grain by sea will lead to higher food prices and deepen the crisis in poor countries. The world understands this and so do our partners. For the past few months, the grain corridor has been inoperative. Together with our partners, we are now making every effort to ensure that Ukrainian grain comes to the markets in the volume required by the world," Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration - Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, said.

Kubrakov noted that Ukraine has always fulfilled and is ready to continue to fulfill the obligations it undertook when signing the grain deal. The Deputy Prime Minister also called on the world to adhere to international maritime law and ensure free trade navigation.

Between June 1 and July 10, only 70 of the planned 150 inspections of vessels (both incoming and outgoing fleets) took place due to Russians' refusal to conduct inspections. The next inspection is scheduled for July 14. Currently, only the incoming fleet remains in the inspection zone.

Since August 1, 2022, over 33 million tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural products have been exported to 45 countries.

As Ukrinform reported, on March 18, 2023, Ukraine, the United Nations, and Türkiye agreed to extend the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Agricultural Products through the Black Sea. The agreement was extended for 120 days. But Russians claimed that the agreement would be valid until May 18, 2023.

On May 17, Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the agreement would be in effect until July 18, 2023.