Berdyansk, the first such shipment from the port since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February.
“After many months of idleness port renewed its’ work, first merchant ship has left Berdyansk commercial port with 7,000 tonnes of grain, destined for friendly countries,” said Evgeny Balitsky, the head of the pro-Russia administration of Berdyansk, occupied by Russia town and port. The ship wasn’t identified, and the port of destination wasn’t revealed.
According to Ukrainian sources, confirmed by AIS data, a ship can be identified as Russia-flagged, Kazakhstan-owned general cargo ship ZHIBEK ZHOLY. If that’s the case, ZHIBEK ZHOLY left Berdyansk on Jun 29, reached Kerch Strait Azov sea anchorage the same day, left anchorage several hours later, and as of morning Jun 30 was sailing in the Black sea, port of destination Karasu Turkey, ETA Jul
Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing its grain during the invasion and blockading its ports to keep grain from leaving the country, which has helped contribute to a global food shortage.
Moscow has denied taking Ukrainian grain, but satellite images and GPS data have been used to back up the allegations that Russia has been transporting grain out of Ukraine through the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
Grain is one of Ukraine’s main industries. Exports totaled $12.2 billion last year and accounted for nearly one-fifth of the country’s exports. Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, including Berdyansk, handled about 6 million tons of grains and other crops each month before the war.
Russia and Ukraine together, meanwhile, account for nearly one-third of the world’s wheat supply.
