Ukrainian ports gradually opening up as three more ships loaded with food set to depart

Ukrainian ports gradually opening up as three more ships loaded with food set to depart

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Three more ships will depart Black Sea ports loaded with food on Friday morning under a grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, officials announced.

Two of the ships will leave the Chernomorsk port and another will leave a port in Odesa carrying a combined total of more than 58,000 tons of corn.

“We hope for the professionalism of all involved,” Ukrianian Minister of Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov wrote on Facebook.

A security officer stands next to the ship Navi-Star which sits full of grain.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Under the deal that officials reached on July 22, ships are allowed to leave the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny with grain, corn and related food.

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The agreement appeared to be in peril on July 23 when Russia launched a series of missile strikes at Ukraine’s coastline, but the first ship with 26,000 tons of corn left this week.

Security personnel stand in front of a grain storage terminal at the Odesa Sea Port, in Odesa, Ukraine.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine has squeezed food prices around the world as both countries are key players in the global commodities market.

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The United Nations’ FAO Food Price Index, which reflects the international prices of a basket of food commodities, was up 23% in June compared to the same time last year.