Commercial vessels will have a new route to reach three designated ports in Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia, in a move that would further boost food shipments out of the Black Sea under the grain deal signed in Istanbul.
The new 320-nautical-mile route connects Ukraine’s ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Pivdennyi/Yuzhny with inspection areas inside Türkiye’s territorial waters, according to a press release Friday from the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC).
The group includes representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the United Nations with a mission to ensure the safe transportation of food and fertilizer.
"This route has been adjusted following an initial three weeks of operations. It allows for shorter transit in the maritime humanitarian corridor and easier planning for the shipping industry," the statement read.
The route comes into effect as of Aug. 26.
The statement further said: "The route provides that while transiting the maritime humanitarian corridor, no military ship, aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle may approach within a radius of 10 nautical miles of any vessel engaged in the Initiative and transiting the corridor."
"The new coordinates have been disseminated through the international navigation system NAVTEX," it noted.
The JCC’s procedures state that any commercial vessel encountering provocations or threats while transiting the corridor should report immediately to the JCC.
The grain corridor was established after Türkiye, the U.N., Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume food exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chernomorsk and Odessa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its seventh month.
The Turkish Defense Ministry reported on Friday that four more ships have left Ukrainian ports under the Istanbul grain export deal and that shipments are going as planned.
"Five ships inspected (in Istanbul) also left for Ukraine," it added.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in an interview with Turkish broadcaster A Haber said that approximately 800,000 tons of grain were transported so far through the corridor.
To date, 36 ships have left the ports while 39 ships have arrived at the Ukrainian ports to be loaded there, he said.
On Russia’s statement that the Ukrainian exports cannot meet the world's grain needs alone and that it needs Russia's products as well, Akar said Türkiye has been following the issue as an observer.
Currently, talks are ongoing between the Russians and the relevant units of the U.N., Akar said, as they discuss what to do with the grain and foods in Russian ports, as well as the chemicals and fertilizers waiting to be exported from there.