2,300 ships carrying over 60 million tonnes of cargo used Ukraine's Black Sea corridor over last year

A total of 2,300 ships carrying over 60 million tonnes of cargo have used Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor since July 2023. [The corridor was created as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a Russian-Ukrainian agreement brokered by the UN and Türkiye and launched on 22 July 2022 to enable ships to transport grain from three Ukrainian ports – ed.]

Source: Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for Ukraine’s Navy, on the air on the Freedom TV channel, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Details: Pletenchuk said that the grain corridor is used by European countries, with Spain leading among them, and countries in the Global South.

"Anyway, the corridor is still working. A total of 2,300 ships carrying 60 million tonnes [of cargo] have used the sea corridor.

This is not the only route ships can travel. And yes, it requires daily work to guarantee the safety [of ships using the corridor]. This concerns both mine safety and counter-sabotage security and security against other types of threats. Certain agencies have to oversee and support [the ships using the corridor]. As you can see, all this is happening as a matter of routine now," Pletenchuk said.

Background: 

• Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 17 July 2023.
• On 10 August 2023, Ukraine created temporary corridors in the Black Sea to enable the safe passage of trade ships heading to and from Ukrainian ports.
• In January 2024, Ukraine reached pre-war naval export volumes thanks to the sea corridors it created.

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