The first grain carrier "Lazzoni", the first grain carrier departing from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on the 1st of this month, "disappeared from people's vision for several days" and appeared in Tartus, a Mediterranean port in western Syria, on the 16th. Ukraine announced in June that it had severed diplomatic relations with Syria.
According to Reuters, satellite images obtained by the "Planet Lab" company on the morning of the 16th showed that the "Lazzoni" docked in the port of Tartus. Shipping industry sources say dock workers are unloading corn on board.
On August 3, the first grain carrier "Lazzoni", departing from the Ukrainian port of Odessa, passed through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shadati
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed relevant agreements with Turkey and the United Nations on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports, including the establishment of a joint coordination center in Istanbul, Turkey, and the security of food transportation, and the start of the export of grain and fertilizers at three Ukrainian ports, including Odessa.
The Razoni was the first grain carrier to leave Ukraine after the agreement was reached, flying the Sierra Leonean flag and carrying more than 26,000 tons of corn, with its original destination at the port of Tripoli in Lebanon. The "Lazzoni" arrived at the port of Istanbul on the 2nd and was inspected by the representative of the Black Sea Grain Export Joint Coordination Center on the 3rd.
However, while the Razoni was transporting grain, the Lebanese buyer cancelled the order. According to the Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon at the time, the delay in the delivery of grain for several months prompted shipping agents and buyers to reach an agreement on the cancellation of the order, and agents were looking for new buyers to identify the new destination of the Lazoni.
According to the sea traffic website of the International Freight Information Platform, the "Lazzoni" unloaded part of the cargo at the Mediterranean port of Mersin in southern Turkey on the 11th, sailed away from Mersin on the 12th, and shut down the ship real-time automatic identification system (AIS) near cyprus waters so far.
According to the Associated Press, unless it wants to be "stealthy", the ship needs to turn on THE AIS during the voyage. However, ships bound for Syria generally shut down AIS.
As for the whereabouts of the Razoni, the Joint Coordination Centre for Food Shipments in the Black Sea said that after the ships were inspected in Istanbul, the center stopped tracking their whereabouts.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon reiterated on the 16th that where the grain on the "Lazzoni" is transported is no longer the responsibility of the Ukrainian side, "our task is to restore the transportation of grain from the sea port, this task has been completed."
On the same day, Syrian diplomats to the United Nations refused to respond to questions about the Razoni.
This is the Joint Coordination Center for The Export of Grain from the Black Sea, photographed in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 27. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shadati
Since the signing of the grain export agreement between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, more than a dozen grain carriers have sailed out of Ukrainian ports. One of the ships arrived at the Turkish port of Derinje on the 8th, unloading 12,000 tons of corn, becoming the first grain carrier to reach its destination.
The Ukrainian government said earlier this month that about 20 million tonnes of grain remained in its domestic granaries and ports awaiting shipment.
Both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of cereals. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said that in the past three years, Russia and Ukraine have exported about 30% of global wheat and about 20% of global corn.
Source: Xinhua News Agency