By KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Eleven vessels at once with 313,500 tonnes of foodstuffs left the ports of Big Odesa on Friday after three days of bad weather, when there was no traffic, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine has reported.
"At once three bulk carriers are heading to African countries: Lady Litel with 31,000 tonnes of wheat for Libya, East Wind 1 with 25,000 tonnes for Tunisia, and Lady Hatice with 11,000 tonnes of food for Morocco,” the ministry said on Facebook.
In addition, the bulk carrier Antheia, chartered by the UN World Food Programme to deliver Ukrainian wheat to Afghanistan, moored in the port of Chornomorsk.
The ministry said that 17 grain initiative vessels are being processed in the ports, loading more than 519,000 tonnes of Ukrainian foodstuffs, and five more vessels are moving along the grain corridor for loading.
The Ministry of Infrastructure said that 104 vessels are already waiting for the inspection of the Joint Coordination Centre in the Bosphorus, while on January 10 there were 98, and on December 26 – 95 vessels.
The ministry said that for continuous movement of the grain corridor, at least 12 inspections per day should take place.
In total, according to the ministry, since August 1, 644 vessels have left the ports of Big Odesa exporting 17.3 million tonnes of food.
