2 ships loaded with Ukrainian grain anchor at Istanbul Strait

Two grain-loaded ships from Ukraine docked at the Black Sea entrance of Türkiye'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 Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN to ease the global food crisis.

On July 22, those countries and the UN signed a deal in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian ports for exports of Ukraine grain, which had been stuck for months due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

A team from the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, consisting of representatives from all four sides, started to inspect the ship.

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.

Thanks to Türkiye's diplomatic efforts to unblock Ukraine grain exports, the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni was the first grain ship that left the port of Odesa on Monday since the war began in February. The ship, with over 26,500 tons of corn, passed through the Turkish Straits after it got security clearance in Istanbul on Wednesday, when it set sail again for its ultimate destination, Lebanon.

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.