Last Friday, Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement with the United Nations and Turkey to allow grain exports from Ukraine from the three ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny. According to Ukrainian sources, more than 20 million tons of grain from last year’s harvest are still waiting to be exported. Port operations were suspended for security reasons following the Russian invasion at the end of February.
According to the Ukrainian Navy, preparations are now underway for the first grain export across the Black Sea. But there is still some work to be done, the Navy said at the same time. The shipping routes would have to be checked for underwater obstacles. In addition, special navigation aids would be set up for safe ship movements, it said.
Safety of seafarers is the main concern
In addition, a shortage of seafarers can jeopardize further steps. According to Henrik Jensen, managing director of Danica, a company specializing in the provision of ship crews, the security situation might make it difficult to find enough personnel for ships tied up in Ukrainian ports. “The main concern at the moment is the safety of the teams,” he told Archyde.com on Wednesday.
About 80 ships with 450 sailors are currently stuck in Ukraine. At the beginning of the war at the end of February there were initially around 2,000 seamen. Experts anticipate that few experienced individuals will be willing to travel to ports in southern Ukraine until the first ships have been safely navigated through the waters.
“Unless naval forces assist the Ukrainian authorities in clearing these mines and creating a safe corridor, seafarers are at significant personal risk navigating these waters,” Stephen Cotton, secretary-general of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), told Archyde.com. “We also need to talk regarding suspending military service for Ukrainian seafarers,” Cotton said.
Center in Istanbul as a security guarantor
The control center in Istanbul, which opened on Wednesday, is to take care of the protection of seafarers and ships. There, representatives of Ukraine and Russia as well as Turkey and the United Nations will in future jointly monitor the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo ships on the defined routes. The ships are also said to be inspected in Istanbul upon arrival and departure by representatives of the four parties to prevent clandestine arms shipments.
According to the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, if necessary, the parties involved should also decide on the clearance of sea mines. At the moment, however, that is not necessary. “The staff at this center are aware that the eyes of the world are on them,” Akar said. “We hope that the center will make the greatest possible contribution to humanitarian aid and peace.”
Eight million tons per month
The government in Kyiv announced on Monday that exports from the Ukrainian ports might start this week. The grain agreement is initially valid for four months. If regarding eight million tons of grain can be exported per month, four months would be enough to export the currently blocked grain of the order of 25 million tons.
Doubts were raised over the weekend regarding the reliability of the Russian commitments because of an internationally condemned attack on the port of Odessa. Moscow stressed that the army had targeted “military infrastructure” and that there was nothing standing in the way of resuming grain deliveries.
Nevertheless, on Wednesday Moscow demanded that obstacles to the export of Russian grain be removed quickly so that exports might begin at the same time as deliveries from Ukraine. Russia had made the end of the blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports dependent on the easing of Western sanctions once morest itself.
