Minister: Some 354 ships leave Ukraine via grain corridor since early Aug

By Azernews

By News Center

Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu has said that some 354 ships left Ukrainian ports through the grain corridor from August 1 to October 18, Yeni Shafak reports.

The minister went on to say that over 7.8 million tons of goods were transported through the corridor operating thanks to Turkiye's active involvement in tackling the global grain crisis.

In a written statement, Karaismailoglu recalled that the global food crisis caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war was resolved and a grain corridor was established as a result of Turkiye's superb diplomacy led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Karaismailoglu underlined that some 354 vessels left Ukraine's Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne ports from August 1 to October 18 through the grain corridor.

"The ships transported 13 different types of cargo including barley, wheat, soybean, sunflower meal, wheat bran, peas, sunflower seeds, processed mixed food, sugar beet, sunflower oil, canola seed, corn, and soybean oil," the minister said.

He further added that Turkiye owns or operates 135 of the 354 ships and 119 of 354 ships delivered goods to Turkish ports. Others transported cargos to Germany, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Algeria, Djibouti, China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, France, South Korea, Georgia, India, the Netherlands, England, Iran, Ireland, Spain, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Greece.

Karaismailoglu underlined that the total volume of goods transported so far has surpassed 7.8 million tons. The total cargo carried by ships arriving at Turkish ports was about 1.2 million, accounting for approximately 17 percent of total cargo.

Turkiye received goods such as barley, sunflower seeds, sunflower meal, sunflower oil, peas, wheat, wheat bran, processed mixed meals, corn, soy, canola seeds, and soybeans. Some 13 percent of the cargo was shipped to Africa, 23 percent to Asia, and 47 percent to Europe. Besides Turkiye, the majority of goods were delivered to Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands in Europe, he detailed.

Karaismailoglu added that 31 of the 354 ships that had been stranded at Ukrainian ports since February 24 returned home following the establishment of the grain corridor.

The minister highlighted that all eight Turkish-flagged or owned ships that had stuck at the ports since February 24 departed and that there are no Turkish-flagged or owned ships remaining in Ukraine.

The minister emphasized that some 386 ships have been examined or are scheduled to be inspected by the "joint center" in Istanbul to leave for the Ukrainian cities of Yuzhne, Chornomorsk, and Odesa since the start of the war via the grain corridor.

"363 of 386 ships have been inspected, with 142 of the inspected ships belonging to Turkish operators," he said.

On July 22, historic documents were signed in Istanbul for grain shipments from Ukraine. The Joint Coordination Center was created at the National Defense University in Istanbul after the historic deal. Representatives from Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations attended the opening of the center.

At the initiative of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, negotiations were held with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to solve the problem. Several ministerial meetings were held, as well as intensive contacts were carried out through the Russian, Ukrainian, and Turkish special representatives.

As a result of the contacts, a four-way meeting was held for the first time in Istanbul on 13 July, where general principles were agreed upon. Despite different approaches by some countries, those long and arduous efforts resulted in the July 22 deal. The Joint Coordination Center started its preparatory work on the campus of the National Defense University on July 23.