Black Sea Grain Initiative set to reach 6m tonne milestone

The Joint Co-ordination Centre (JCC) of the initiative reported that a total of 5,903,748 tonnes of grain and foodstuffs had been exported from Ukraine under its supervision as of October 3, across 260 outbound voyages.

Daily exports have range from 60,000 tonnes to 360,000 tonnes per day in recent weeks, leaving the 6m tonne milestone likely to be broken on October 4 or 5. On October 3, five vessels left Ukraine carrying 116,123 tonnes of grains and food products under the initiative’s watch, with cargoes of corn and wheat destined for various ports in Europe and Africa.

The JCC also completed 12 inspections on October 3 for a mix of inbound and outbound vessels.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was set up to enable the export of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine to prevent global food shortages. Ukraine is a major exporter of grains and other agricultural products, and the ongoing war with Russia prevented exports via the Black Sea and threatened to lead to significant food price hikes around the world.

Brokered by Türkiye and the UN, the initiative allows vessels to apply to enter the Black Sea to call Ukraine’s ports solely for the loading of food and agricultural products for export. The JCC is made up of senior representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the UN and Türkiye who inspect vessels and organise safe convoys for inbound and outbound voyages through a humanitarian corridor.

Related:Seaborne Ukraine grain exports gather pace

Since its establishment in July, a total of 548 voyages have been enabled, 288 inbound and 260 outbound.