Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure has accused Russian authorities of preventing the inspection of ships destined for grain exports from Ukrainian ports, thus blocking more than five million tons of grain in Turkey’s Bosporus Strait.
The Infrastructure portfolio has launched a publication on its official Facebook account where it points out that there are already almost a hundred cargo ships waiting to be inspected, a task that was set as essential in the pact agreed in July between Russia and Ukraine, with the collaboration of Turkey and the United Nations.
Kiev has detailed that most of the vessels, more than 70, are awaiting permission to enter the Black Sea bound for Ukrainian ports to receive cargo. Another 25 already have thousands of tons on board.
The Ukrainian side has accused Moscow not only of reducing inspection groups, but also of raising the requirements on the documentation vessels must submit to access the Black Sea. «Only six out of ten scheduled inspections occur every day,» they have denounced.
In spite of everything, the Ministry of Infrastructure has put in value that, in the last two days, it has been possible to export agricultural products to Africa, Asia and Europe through eleven cargo ships that departed from ports of Odessa, in the southwestern tip of Ukraine.
Among these ships, the ‘Alanda Star’ stands out, with almost 31,000 tons of grain that have gone to Egypt; or the ‘Eurochampion’, which has managed to transport another 45,000 tons to ports in India.
According to Ukrainian Government estimates, since the beginning of August a total of 605 cargo ships have sailed from Odessa ports with about 16 million tons of foodstuffs on board, bound for countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.
Russia and Ukraine agreed at the end of July, with the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations, to allow the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers across the Black Sea. That was one of the first points of understanding between the conflicting parties, although it has suffered interruptions.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
