Grain Vessel From Ukraine Runs Aground In Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait; Marine Traffic Halted

While the war in Eastern Europe on Friday entered day 191, a vessel loaded with grains from Ukraine, sailing for Istanbul, ran aground in the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, the Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety informed. Taking to Twitter, the watchdog said that the 173-meter cargo vessel named Lady zehma went aground due to an unexpected rudder failure while it was en route to Istanbul. It informed that tugs were immediately dispatched to the incident spot. Following this, the ship traffic in the Bosphorus Strait was also halted.

Furthermore, the watchdog mentioned that the vessel was by rescue crew members associated with the General Directorate of Coastal Safety.

It is to mention that grains have been transported from Kyiv as Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, and the UN inked a deal concerning exporting Ukraine’s grains, fertilizers, and foods.

Following reports, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense declared last weekend that about 1.043286 million tons of grains were transferred from Ukraine’s ports as part of the UN-mediated grains deal. The shipment of grains that resumed with the departure of the first vessel from the Odesa port on 1 August 2022 continues routinely and safely, per a statement from the ministry. It also stated that the volume of grain transported from Ukraine’s ports is about 1.043286 million tonnes.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ports in the Black Sea region were reportedly blocked by Moscow. Ukraine mined the area to ward off the Russian strikes. As Ukraine is one of the major suppliers of grains, prices of these necessary goods hiked, making it unaffordable for millions of underprivileged individuals who were experiencing hunger. The ports exporting Ukraine’s grains were closed to commercial vessels.

The blockade drove up the prices of grains since Ukraine and Russia are two of the largest grain exporters in the world. Due to the embargo, Ukraine could not export grains and other agricultural products, and foreign insurers and shippers were hesitant to deal with Russians for fear of violating the US and EU sanctions.

Further, an agreement was reached, mentioning that the port infrastructure and vessels would be safeguarded from violence after more than two months of dedicated diplomatic efforts by Turkey and the UN. In Istanbul on 22 July, multilateral deals were inked about easing restrictions on the export of Russian commodities and Moscow’s aid in transporting grains from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, on 30 August, a vessel chartered by the UN loaded with thousands of tons of Ukrainian wheat for the millions starving in the Horn of Africa reached Djibouti. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) organized the first vessel, a bulk carrier named Brave Commander, since Russia commenced attacks on Ukraine on February 24. On the same day, the WFP also reported that Yemen received the second cargo of food supplies.

References: Republic World, Wion News, The National News