Shipping via Ukraine’s new Black Sea corridor resumes

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KYIV- Four vessels left Ukrainian Black Sea ports in the Odesa region on Friday as shipping via a new export corridor resumed after a three-day pause, independent transport sector consultancy STC said.

“On October 27, vessel traffic in the temporary Black Sea corridor announced by Ukraine resumed,” STC said in a report.

It said the Propus, Iasos, Gloria G and Manassa Queen had sailed from Odesa ports while the tanker Mavka, bulk carrier Golden Arrow and general cargo vessel Maranta were currently heading to Ukrainian ports.

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Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov later said the four vessels were carrying almost 130,000 tons of grain and 10,000 tons of metal to countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Kubrakov, writing on X, formerly Twitter, said 11 civilian vessels had called at three Black Sea ports – Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi – to load almost 225,000 tons of agricultural and metal products.

On Thursday, the Kyiv-based Barva Invest consultancy, British security firm Ambrey and a specialized outlet, Ukrainian Ports, reported that Ukraine had suspended use of the corridor due to a possible threat from Russian warplanes and sea mines.

Ukrainian officials denied this and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday the corridor would continue to function despite threats.

Ukraine has been using the corridor to try to revive its seaborne exports, defying threats from Moscow which quit a UN -brokered deal in July that had allowed some food exports to flow despite the war.

Ukrainian officials had earlier reported 23 ships loading at the three ports as of Thursday.

Kubrakov said a total of 62 vessels had used the corridor, with 37 already exporting more than 1.3 million tons agricultural products and other cargo.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s grain exports have fallen to 8.72 million metric tons so far in the 2023/24 July-June marketing season, agriculture ministry data showed on Friday.

The ministry gave no direct comparative data, but said that by Oct. 28 last year Ukraine had exported 12.34 million tons of grain.

The exported volume this season included 4.4 million tons of wheat, 3.5 million tons of corn and 669,000 tons of barley. In the previous season Ukraine exported 4.7 million tons of wheat, 6.6 million tons of corn and 1.05 million tons of barley.

The ministry said 1.97 million tons of grain were exported in the first 26 days of October. Ukraine exported 3.65 million tons from Oct. 1-27 a year ago.

While the ministry gave no explanation for the decrease, traders and farmers’ unions have said blocked Ukrainian Black Sea ports and Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube River are the main reasons for lower exports.

Ukraine has traditionally shipped most of its exports through its deep water Black Sea ports.

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