A Ship Carrying The First Ukraine Grain Cargo Docks In Syria's Tartous - Shipping Source

• The first ship to depart Ukraine under a deal to resume grain exports from the country two weeks ago docked in the Syrian port city of Tartous on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, according to a shipping source and satellite data.
• The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from Ukraine's Odesa port on Aug. 1 under a hard-won grain deal but did not unload in Lebanon as planned. Its location had not been clear in recent days as it has kept its transponder off.
• The cargo of 26,000 tonnes of corn had originally been destined for Lebanon, which has been suffering an economic crisis that has plunged about half of its population into food insecurity.
• However, the original buyer refused the delivery over quality concerns and the ship sailed to Turkey, docking in Mersin on Aug. 11 and unloading part of the cargo there.
• Ukraine has previously accused Syria of importing at least 150,000 tonnes of grain it said was plundered from Ukrainian warehouses after Russia's invasion in February. Russia has denied stealing Ukrainian grain.
• It is important to note that Ukraine's ministry of transport said at the weekend that it was "not responsible for vessel and cargo after it has left Ukraine, moreover after the vessel departed from (a) foreign port".

(Source: Reuters)