(Reuters) – Three ships carrying a total of 58,041 tonnes of corn have been authorised to leave Ukrainian ports on Friday as part of a deal to unblock grain exports, the organisation arranging the operation said on Thursday.
A first vessel carrying Ukrainian grain set sail from Odesa on Monday, arriving at the Bosphorus Strait some 36 hours later under a deal between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, that aims to ease a global food crisis stemming from the war.
Turkey earlier said there were plans for three ships to set out from Ukrainian ports on Friday, adding Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had held talks with Ukraine’s defence and infrastructure ministers to discuss grain deliveries.
A spokesperson for the regional administration of Odesa said late on Wednesday a Turkish bulk carrier was expected to arrive in Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port on Friday, making it the first ships to arrive at a Ukrainian port during Russia’s invasion.