First ship loaded with Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa port

Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.

“The first ship with Ukrainian foodstuffs left the Odesa port," the minister wrote.

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship RAZONI, loaded with 26,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn, is heading to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.

The minister noted that Ukraine is the fourth largest corn exporter in the world, so the possibility of exporting it through the ports will help ensure global food security.

“Today, Ukraine, together with its partners, is taking another step towards preventing world hunger. Unblocking the ports will provide at least $1 billion in foreign currency earnings for the economy and an opportunity for the agrarian sector to plan next year's sowing," Kubrakov emphasized.

According to him, 16 more Ukrainian ships are waiting for their turn to leave.

In turn, Serhiy Bratchuk, the spokesman of the Odesa Regional Administration, noted that the safety of cargo transportation was confirmed by Ukraine’s guarantor partners - the UN and Turkey.

As earlier reported, on July 22, an agreement was signed on the export of grain and other foodstuffs from the ports of Ukraine following a quadrilateral meeting of Ukraine, Turkey, the UN, and Russia in Istanbul.