GNC General Discussion, page-242

This is an extract from a long Dow Jones report in 'The Australian' on Tuesday 18 July 2023:

"...Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow was shutting down the maritime corridor used by grain ships and would no longer guarantee safety for ships in the northwestern Black Sea.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukraine’s partners would likely look to alternative, more expensive delivery routes that in the past have included road, rail and river.

Asked whether grain could be shipped on the Black Sea in the absence of a deal, Blinken told reporters, “if Russia is ending this initiative and sending a message that grain cannot or other food products cannot leave Ukraine unimpeded, even if there are other options I think it would have a profound chilling effect on the ability to pursue them.” With uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the deal, operations around the Black Sea shipping corridor have all but stopped, with no new ships authorised to enter or exit since June 27, according to the U.N.

The last ship listed by the U.N. as participating under the deal, the Turkish-flagged TQ Samsun, departed Odessa on Sunday and reached Istanbul on Monday where it was inspected by the Joint Coordination Center that oversees the deal, the U.N. said. The vessel is carrying 15,300 metric tons of rapeseed destined for the Netherlands.

European Union officials have said in recent days they were willing to take steps to help assuage Russian complaints that its agricultural exports are being blocked by Western sanctions if Russia stays in the deal.

Russia, a major agricultural exporter, had one of its largest crops last year and has huge volumes in stock, lowering prices and undercutting profits for Russian farmers’ businesses. Russian grain exports are forecast to reach a record this month, according to consulting firm SovEcon."

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