Chornomorsk and Odesa ports witness arrival of eight bulk carriers for grain loading on week 20

The movement of ships along the Black Sea grain corridor has resumed after the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative deal on May 17. On week 20, a total of eight bulk carriers passed inspection and docked at Ukrainian ports for grain loading. It is worth noting that no tankers arrived at the deep-sea ports from May 15 to May 21.

However, the port of Pivdennyi has been experiencing a halt in operations due to a lack of fleet. Russia does not agree any inbound vessels inspections to Pivdennyi, which constitutes a gross violation of the signed agreement. The exclusion of the Pivdennyi port, the deepest and largest port in terms of throughput, will have a significant negative impact on export volumes.

According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, there are currently 68 vessels waiting at anchor for inbound JCC (Joint Control Commission) inspection, of which 29 ships are bound for Chornomorsk, 15 ships for Odesa, and 24 vessels for Pivdennyi. In terms of outbound voyages, only one vessel is awaiting inspection.

During the period from May 15 to May 21, there were only four dry bulk ships that departed from the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk. Such a limited number of departures is due to the fact that no ships have been allowed into Ukrainian ports from May 7 until the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Consequently, no vessels underwent grain loading during that time.

However, 14 bulk carriers successfully underwent outgoing JCC inspection in the Bosphorus. The average waiting time for outgoing vessels has decreased to about five days as all parties involved attempted to conduct inspections before the potential expiration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Line-up statistics on agri shipments ex Ukraine //  May 15-21