First since grain deal ended: Container ship arrives in Istanbul

A civilian cargo ship sailing from Ukraine reached Istanbul on Thursday

A container ship arrived in Turkiye’s Istanbul Strait today having left Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa despite Russian warnings that its navy could target ships using the Black Sea export hubs.

The Hong Kong flagged Joseph Schulte has become the first vessel to pass through the grain corridor since Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Deal in July.

Turkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports which had been paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

A Joint Coordination Centre was set up in Istanbul with officials from the three countries and the UN to oversee the shipments.

The deal had been renewed several times since then, and it was extended for another two months on 18 May.

The UN has long argued that the Black Sea deal was a commercial operation and it had benefitted poor states by helping lower food prices more than 23 per cent globally since March last year.

READ: Russia tourists stranded in Turkiye after planes break down

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