First civilian ship goes through Ukraine's new humanitarian corridor – Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the first civilian ship passed through Ukraine’s new humanitarian corridor on the evening of 16 August and is on its way to the Bosphorus.
Source: President Zelenskyy on Twitter
Quote from Zelenskyy: "Ukraine has just taken an important step towards restoring the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. The first civilian ship has left the Odesa port and passed through Ukraine’s new humanitarian corridor. It is currently on the way to the Bosphorus."
Details: Zelenskyy said that Ukraine earlier informed the International Maritime Organisation about setting up the new humanitarian corridor. The IMO, in turn, "reiterated Ukraine’s sovereign right to control navigation" and "urged Russia to stop threatening [Ukraine] and to abide by international conventions".
"The sea must be safe for everyone. This is of critical importance to Ukraine and its partners. Freedom and safety of navigation are the basic principles of international relations," Zelenskyy stressed.
Previously: On the morning of 16 August, Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction - the Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure announced that the container ship JOSEPH SCHULTE (under the flag of Hong Kong) had left the port of Odesa and was moving along the temporary corridor established for civilian vessels to/from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
This vessel has been in the port of Odesa since 23 February 2022. It is carrying more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo (2,114 containers), including food.
Background:
- Warehouses and granaries at one of the Danube ports were damaged in a Russian attack on Odesa Oblast on 16 August.
- The last ship with Ukrainian food left the port of Odesa on 16 July.
- Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 17 July, and after that, it repeatedly attacked the port's grain infrastructure.
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