A first ship chartered by the United Nations to transport Ukrainian grain destined to support its humanitarian relief efforts around the world is scheduled to dock in Ukraine on Friday, the World Food Program (WFP) said.
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The MV Brave Commander, which left Istanbul on Wednesday, is due to arrive in Youzhne, east of Odessa on the Black Sea coast, to collect grain purchased by WFP.
“This is the first shipment of humanitarian food aid under the Black Sea Grains Initiative,” WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri said at a regular news conference in Geneva.
On July 22, Ukraine and Russia signed in Istanbul, through Turkish mediation and under the aegis of the UN, a four-month agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain to the Black Sea, which was blocked due to the armed conflict between the two countries.
In accordance with these agreements, a Joint Coordination Center (JCC) has been established in Istanbul, which is responsible for controlling Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea.
On August 10, a first commercial shipment of Ukrainian grain docked at the port of Mersin in Turkey. But so far no UN humanitarian cargo has left Ukraine.
The WFP has purchased 30,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat so far and the MV Brave Commander has a capacity of 23,000 tons.
“The rest will soon be loaded and shipped to another ship,” explained Mr. Phiri.
WFP hopes there will be regular humanitarian supplies thereafter.
The date when the MV Brave Commander will leave Ukraine or its destination has not been specified by the organization.
“Loading and moving ships … in the context of the current conflict is a complex operation,” Phiri said.
“Supplying Ukrainian grain for WFP humanitarian operations in places like Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen will benefit both Ukraine’s economy and famine-prone populations in regions of the world hardest hit by the global food crisis,” he also noted .
Ukraine and Russia are among the top grain exporters in the world, and the war has caused grain prices to soar.
According to WFP, a record 345 million people in 82 countries are now acutely food insecure, while without humanitarian assistance up to 50 million people in 45 countries are at risk of starvation.