A SHIP full of grain set sail from Ukraine raising hopes of averting Biblical famines fuelled by Putin’s bloodbath invasion.
The vessel braved a maze of sea mines as it steamed out of Odesa with 26,000 tons of corn and a Kremlin pledge of safe passage.
A ship carrying 26,000 tons of corn sets sail from Ukraine — raising hopes of averting famines fuelled by Vladimir Putin’s invasion[/caption]
Fourteen more vessels are waiting in ports to see if the 186m Razoni reaches the Bosphorus Strait safely.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed the first voyage as a “relief for the world”.
The UN warned 44 million people were marching towards starvation due to drought and Russia’s invasion, which halted Ukraine’s grain exports.
The voyage follows a landmark deal brokered in Turkey to lift Russia’s Black Sea blockade.
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Under the terms of the agreement the vessel will stop in Istanbul for inspections before sailing on to Lebanon.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss hailed an “an important first step” but warned: “There must be no repeat of Russia’s shelling of the port of Odesa.”
Ukraine is the world’s fifth largest grain producer and a key source of food in the Middle East, East Africa and Asia.
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More than 20 million tons are heaped in silos ready to go.
Ship tracking data showed the Sierra Leone flagged vessel sailing south east from Odesa before setting course at 10 knots for the Bosphorus Strait.
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Ukraine fears Russia will use the ships to reveal safe routes through defensive minefields ahead of an assault on Odesa.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailed the ship’s departure as “very positive.”
