The UN put forward practical proposals to the parties of the “product deal” at the strategic and operational levels against the backdrop of Russia’s restriction of the registration of ships in the port of Yuzhny, Stefan Dujarric, the official representative of the secretary general of the organization, said at a briefing.
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According to him, the Russian Federation has informed the Joint Coordinating Center (JCC) of its decision to limit the registration of ships to the Yuzhny port until Russian ammonia is exported.
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As Dujarric pointed out, 33 ships left Ukrainian ports in May.
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“This is half compared to the number of ships in April. Only three of these ships left the Yuzhny port. Exports in May reached 1.3 million tons of grain and other products, which is less than half of the volumes exported in previous months,” Dujarric said.
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He noted that since May 24, the number of inspection teams in the SKC has been reduced from three to two. “Limited registration and a reduction in inspection teams have reduced the average number of daily inspections to three. This is a very serious situation,” he added.
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“The Secretariat put forward practical proposals to all parties at the strategic and operational level,” he stressed.
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The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was signed on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The coordination of vessel traffic is handled by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out in September that the West exports most of the Ukrainian grain to its own states, and not to needy countries in Africa.
