Two Ships Loaded with Ukrainian Grain Arrive in Istanbul Strait

Istanbul, August 06 (QNA) - Two grain-loaded ships from Ukraine docked at the Black Sea entrance of Turkey's Istanbul Strait en route to Ireland, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
The Panama-flagged ship, the Navi-Star, which departed from Ukraine's port of Odesa on Friday, is carrying 33,000 tons of corn under a recent grain shipment deal signed by Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN to ease the global food crisis.
A team from the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, consisting of representatives from all four sides, started to inspect the ship, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported. After the inspection, the ship is expected to proceed on its way.
After the Navi-Star's arrival, the Malta-flagged ship Rojen, which departed from Ukraine's Chornomorsk port with 13,000 tons of grain for the UK, also anchored off the north of Istanbul. The vessel's inspection is expected to take place on Sunday, the ministry added.
So far, four ships, carrying a total of over 84,500 tons of grain, have departed Ukraine's ports to make their deliveries that many believe will help ease the global food crisis.
In a related context, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar discussed during separate phone calls with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov the latest developments on the Ukrainian grain exports in the framework of Istanbul agreement. (QNA)