Despite worries that Russia could attack ships in the Black Sea, a commerce ship has departed the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte has been imprisoned in the harbour.
After a contract that had permitted it to export grain last month fell through, Kyiv has announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea.
Moscow, though, has not said whether it will adhere to the corridor.
The ship sailed away as Kyiv reported that Russian airstrikes had destroyed grain storage facilities in Reni, a Danube River river port located around 260 kilometres (160 miles) south-west of Odesa.
Photos of the damaged storage facilities and strewn grain and sunflower fields in Reni, near the border of Ukraine with Moldova and Romania, were provided by Ukrainian authorities.
According to a source in the business, the port’s operations are still ongoing.
Regarding the most recent incident, Russia made no remarks.
Last month, Russia backed out of an agreement that ensured shipments across the Black Sea would be transported safely and warned that any ship sailing towards Ukrainian ports may be targeted militarily.
It fired warning shots at a ship heading near Ukraine earlier this week.
Since Ukraine is a significant exporter of grains and oilseeds, the blockade has helped to drive up food prices around the world.
Russian airstrikes on grain storage facilities in Reni, on the Danube River, according to photos published by Ukrainian officials.
Despite the warnings, Ukraine last week declared a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to permit ships to leave its ports, guaranteeing complete openness to show that they were not acting in support of any military objectives.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, the deputy prime minister, announced on Facebook that “a first vessel used the temporary corridor for merchant ships to/from the ports of Great Odesa.”
According to Reuters, the Joseph Schulte’s owners, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement and a Chinese bank, confirmed the ship was headed to Istanbul, Turkey.
According to Mr. Kubrakov, the corridor was carrying 2,114 containers and more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo, including food, and it will mostly be used to evacuate ships stranded in Black Sea ports since Russia’s full-scale invasion started.
In the meantime, Russian forces had been routed from Urozhaine, a small hamlet in the Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian officials.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar posted on Telegram, “Urozhaine liberated – our defenders are entrenched at the periphery.”