The contract to sell the first shipment of grain exported by Ukraine since the start of the Russian attack has been canceled due to delays in its delivery to Lebanon, according to the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut.
The cargo ship “Razzoni”, flying the flag of Sierra Leone, left the Ukrainian port of Odessa on the Black Sea on the first of August, carrying 26,000 tons of corn, and it was supposed to arrive at the port of Tripoli in Lebanon last Sunday.
And the Ukrainian embassy clarified yesterday evening, Tuesday, in a statement published just before midnight, that the delay in the delivery of the shipment by 5 months “pushed the buyer and the seller to agree to cancel the order.” She noted that the seller was studying “other requests to buy grain.”
Razoni was inspected last week in Istanbul by Turkish and Russian experts. It is currently parked in Mersin, southern Turkey, according to the maritime traffic tracking website.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed two separate agreements, sponsored by Turkey and the United Nations, allowing the export of Ukrainian grain despite the war, and Russian agricultural products despite Western sanctions.
Three ships carrying corn left Ukrainian ports last Friday, bound for Ireland, Britain and Turkey, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. On Monday, the first ship reached its final destination in Turkey.
Eight ships have also left Ukrainian ports since the signing of the agreement, according to what was announced by the Ukrainian authorities, which indicated that it is expected to reach an average of 3 to 5 ships per day in the next two weeks.