Access the latest Maritime Security Threat Advisory for the week commencing 18th September 2023.
👉 Two cargo ships arrived at a Ukrainian port on Saturday, the first to do so since Russia withdrew from a grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July. The ships will be delivering some 20,000 tons of wheat to countries in Africa and Asia.
The grain deal was seen as a critical step in easing the global food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, which is a major exporter of wheat and other agricultural products. However, Russia withdrew from the deal on July 17, arguing that its demands for the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer shipments had not been met.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of using the grain deal as a blackmail tool, and of trying to starve the world into submission. However, they have said that they are committed to continuing to export grain despite Russia's withdrawal from the deal.
The arrival of the two cargo ships in Ukraine is a positive development, but it remains to be seen whether the grain deal can be sustained without Russia's participation. The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the global food supply, and millions of people around the world are at risk of starvation.