Black Sea grain deal: No new ships authorised on Friday

Ukraine, Russia, Turkiye and the United Nations, on Friday, failed to authorise any new ships under a deal allowing safe Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on 18 May over obstacles to its own grain and fertiliser exports, Reuters reports.

Daily inspections of previously authorised ships continue, deputy UN spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told reporters. Officials from the four parties make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea deal agreed in July.

In an excerpt of a letter seen by Reuters, Russia told its JCC counterparts last month it will not approve any new vessels to take part, unless their operators guarantee the transits will be done by 18 May  – “the expected date of … closure.”

Ukraine has been putting forward daily a list of ships to be authorised. Once approved, those ships are then inspected by the JCC officials near Turkiye before travelling to a Ukrainian Black Sea port via a maritime humanitarian corridor to collect their cargo and return to Turkish waters for a final inspection.

According to JCC data, there is currently one ship authorised for inbound inspection and 25 ships awaiting an outbound inspection – all in Turkish waters; there are 13 ships in Ukrainian ports and there are 5 ships in transit toward Ukraine and 2 vessels in transit heading back to Turkiye.

There are eight vessels seeking authorisation from the JCC, according to the Ukrainian sea ports website.

The United Nations and Turkiye brokered the Black Sea grain export deal to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow’s war in Ukraine. At the same time, Russia accepted a three-year deal in which the UN agreed to help try and remove any obstacles to its grain and fertiliser exports.

While those Russian exports are not subject to Western sanctions imposed following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance are a barrier to shipments.

Russia has said it will not extend the pact beyond 18 May unless its list of demands is met to remove those obstacles.

Top UN trade official, Rebeca Grynspan, met with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Vershinin, in Moscow on Friday to discuss UN efforts to “to facilitate the unimpeded export of Russian food and fertiliser, including ammonia,” Haq said.

The deputy defence ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkiye are due to meet next week to discuss the grains agreement.

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