Ship Carrying 26,527 MT of Corn Leaves Odessa Port For First Time Since War With Russia Began

The Razoni, a ship carrying 26,527 metric tons of corn, has left the Ukrainian Port of Odessa - representing the first ship to leave a Ukrainian port loaded with grain since the war with Russia began.

The vessel, which had been stuck in port since February 18, before the start of the war, was led by a government vessel that guided it through mines placed by Ukrainian forces to impede Russia from launching an amphibious attack on Odessa. The ship is headed on a route approved by the Russian Navy, first to Itanbul, then Tripoli, Lebanon, according to officials from Ukraine and Turkey.

There is currently $10 billion worth of grain being stored in Ukraine, with an impending harvest that is expected to add another $20 billion worth to the stockpiles. Meanwhile, there are currently 16 more ships waiting for clearance to leave Odessa.

The news of the Razoni leaving Odessa came only a day after it was confirmed that grain tycoon and owner of grain export company Nibulon, Oleksiy Vadatursky, and his wife, were killed in a massive shelling by Russia of the city of Mykolaiv.

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