Grain ships leave Odesa ports after pause following Russian attacks

Eight ships loaded with grain left ports in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Tuesday after a pause caused by power cuts following Russian missile strikes, the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry said.

The Black Sea port of Odesa did not operate on Sunday and the ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, which are also authorised to export grain under a deal reached by Moscow and Kyiv despite Russia’s invasion, had operated only partially.

“‘Grain Initiative’: 8 vessels with 238,600 tonnes of agricultural products for Asia and Europe left the ports of Greater Odesa,” the infrastructure ministry said on the Telegrammessaging App.

It said 690,000 tonnes of agricultural products would be loaded onto 23 other vessels that are in the ports in the Odesa region.

The ministry said 550 vessels with food had left Ukrainian ports so far under the initiative, exporting 13.8 million tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural products to Asia, Europe and Africa.