UNITED NATIONS, May 26 (Reuters) – A deal allowing the safe wartime export of grain and fertilizer from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has yet to fully resume operations, the United Nations said on Friday, after being halted earlier. of Russia’s decision last week to extend it.
The deal called the Black Sea Grains Initiative, negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey last July with Russia and Ukraine to try to alleviate a global food crisis exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, covers three ports but no ships. has been allowed to travel to the port of Pivdennyi (Yuzhny) since April 29, the UN said.
The United Nations and Turkey “are working closely with the rest of the parties with the aim of fully resuming operations… and lifting all impediments that obstruct them and limit the scope of the Initiative,” the UN said in a statement.
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russia of effectively excluding the port of Pivdennyi from the Black Sea deal, as Russia complained that it had been unable to export ammonia via pipeline to Pivdennyi under the deal.
The UN said on Friday that the Black Sea deal also provides for the export of fertilizers, including ammonia, but “there have been no such exports so far.”
LOW INSPECTION
Under the Black Sea grain export deal, a Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul – made up of officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN – clears the ships and conducts entry and exit inspections of the vessels.
“According to the information shared by the Ukrainian delegation with the parties in the JCC, there are 54 vessels waiting to move to Ukrainian ports. Of these, 11 applications have been shared with the JCC for registration,” the UN said.
On Thursday, the CCM did not register any new ships, but on Friday the registration of two was agreed, according to the UN, which added that there are currently 13 ships loading in Ukrainian ports: six in Chornomorsk and seven in Odessa.
It also noted that the average number of daily entry and exit inspections had dropped to 3.2 during the month of May, the lowest level since operations began in August. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing in Spanish by Aida Peláez-Fernández)
Source: Ambito
