MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Four bulk cargo ships carrying grain and sailing under the flags of Panama, Liberia and Turkey have left the port of Odessa, Ukrainian media outlet Dumskaya reported.
According to the outlet, the dry bulk cargo carriers Manassa Queen and Propus (both Panama-registered vessels), the Liberia-registered Gloria G and the Turkey-registered Iasos left the port of Odessa.
On October 26, the Ports of Ukraine media outlet reported, citing the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, on the one-day suspension of marine traffic along the "temporary corridor" in the Black Sea for security reasons. According to the administration, Russian aviation has allegedly become more active in the Black Sea area. The media outlet noted that ship traffic along the "temporary corridor" was also halted on October 24-25 due to the lack of authorization by the Ukrainian military.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry described reports that the Black Sea corridor had been suspended as false information. According to the ministry, 23 ships are being loaded in the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny, and the corridor is "functioning, taking into account the military situation and weather conditions."
On July 17, Russia refused to continue its participation in the Black Sea grain deal signed in Istanbul in July 2022, which provided for the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea and the creation of conditions for the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers, saying that the other parties had not fulfilled their obligations as regards the provisions of the Istanbul agreements for facilitating supplies of Russian agricultural products to world markets. The Russian Defense Ministry said that due to the termination of the grain deal, effective midnight on July 20, Moscow would consider all ships sailing to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as carriers of military cargos, and the flag countries of such ships would be deemed belligerents in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kiev. On August 10, the Ukrainian navy announced "temporary corridors" in the Black Sea for merchant ships going to or from the ports of Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny. At the same time, Kiev warned that military threats and mines remain a hazard for ships traversing the route.