A Ukrainian serviceman stands in front of silos of grain from Odessa's Black Sea port, before the shipment of grain as the government of Ukraine awaits signal from UN and Turkey to start grain shipments, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Odessa, Ukraine July 29, 2022. (Credit: Nacho Doce/Reuters)
ISTANBUL — The first ship to leave Ukraine's Odessa port since Russia's invasion will carry more than 26,000 tons of corn and undergo an inspection in Istanbul before continuing to Lebanon's Tripoli, a UN-led monitoring center said on Monday.
The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni is expected to arrive at the inspection in Turkish waters on Aug. 2, the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) said, adding it had requested all parties to inform militaries to ensure its safe passage.
The JCC - including United Nations, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish officials - had verified the port readiness at Odessa, as well as the vehicle's capability to depart ahead of the authorization, it said.
The ship will anchor off the coast of Istanbul around 1200 GMT on Tuesday for a joint inspection, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday.
Akar was speaking in an interview with Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency after the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, which is loaded with corn, left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon. The JCC was set up as part of the agreement, with personnel from the United Nations, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.
The Kremlin on Monday said that news of the ship was "very positive".
Odessa, along with other Ukrainian Black Sea ports, had been blockaded since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Ukraine's Odessa port since Russia's invasion will carry more
than 26,000 tons of corn and undergo an inspection in Istanbul
before continuing to Lebanon's Tripoli, a UN-led monitoring
center said on Monday.
The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni is expected to arrive
at the inspection in Turkish waters on Aug. 2,...