Food deal disrupted for nearly three months as Ukraine risks shipping cargo on new Black Sea routes
Financial Associated Press, October 18 (Editor Xia Junxiong)The Black Sea Food Agreement has been suspended for nearly three months and there are still no signs of resumption. However, starting a month ago, some ships ventured through Ukraine’s new shipping corridor in the Black Sea.
In July this year, Russia announced the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Agreement on the grounds that its parts of the agreement involving Russia had not been fulfilled and its food and fertilizer exports have always faced obstacles.
After Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Agreement, Ukraine announced the establishment of a “humanitarian corridor” on the Black Sea. Initially, shipowners were wary of being there because Russia had previously said it would treat all ships sailing in Black Sea waters bound for Ukrainian ports as potential transporters of military cargo.
Ship tracking data shows that more than 30 ships have called at ports in the Black Sea region since mid-September. Solomchuk, a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s agricultural policy committee, said this week that their cargo included about 1 million tons of grain.
Solomchuk said that it is now the harvest season in Ukraine. Although during the war, the yield of crops is higher than expected. Now is a critical period for exports. If shipments do not increase, the country will face food shortages in a few weeks. Store tight situations.
According to relevant calculations, in the month since September 16, the total transportation capacity of the 32 ships docked at Ukrainian ports is approximately 1.4 million tons, which is similar to the transportation volume in the first month after the launch of the Black Sea Grain Agreement, but only after 1/3 of the transportation volume during peak periods.
Data shows that at least nine of the ships docked at Ukrainian Black Sea ports are Panamax ships. Panamax vessels are among the largest grain transport vessels in the world. This suggests that some shipowners are willing to risk sending larger, more valuable vessels to Ukraine despite the potential dangers.
In addition to crops, ships heading to Ukraine also transport iron and other commodities. The original Black Sea Grain Agreement only allowed the shipment of grain, food and fertilizer.
However, while the number of ships is growing, the inherent risks of transiting the Black Sea region remain unchanged. Sergey Feofilov, head of the Ukrainian consultancy UkrAgroConsult, said: “It is still dangerous, very dangerous. This new alternative corridor will increase Ukraine’s exports, but how important it will be, let’s wait and see.”
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2023-10-18 15:19:00
