The first shipment of Ukrainian grain exported after the Russian invasion is expected on February 24after midnightTuesday in Istanbul, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which left Odessa at 9am (6am GMT) on Monday with 26,000 tonnes of maize bound for the Lebanese port of Tripoli, was initially announced early Tuesday afternoon. Now waitingafter midnight“, or from 21:00 GMT in Istanbul, according to the ministry.
The Razoni was off the coast of Romania overnight but turned off its AIS, the automatic identification system that tracks its trajectory, at 2 a.m. (2300 GMT Monday), according to the Marine website. Traffic. When asked, the Ministry of Defense did not immediately reveal the reasons for this maneuver, which allows it to disappear from the radar. However, this discretion may allow him to escape the press following his arrival at the entrance to the Bosphorus. The tanker made extremely slow progress (7 knots) in Ukrainian waters on Monday due to the possible presence of mines, but then increased its speed, according to Marine Traffic.
It must be verified by the team of the Joint Coordination Center, which monitors the export of Ukrainian grain and ensures the strict implementation of the agreement signed between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on July 22. According to the procedure described by the authorities, “the ship will not enter the port of Istanbul, inspections will be carried out at sea, at anchorAt the Bosphorus entrance to the Black Sea. The press was warned to stay away.Ships will not be allowed to approach the ship. The Coast Guard Command will take necessary measures in this regard.warned the Ministry of Defense.
Source: Le Figaro
