Having been stranded by the war in Ukraine for five months, deck cadet Burak Kınayer, 19, is waiting to hear when he will set sail home to Turkey now that a grain export deal has been signed.
As clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces echoed off the coast of Odessa last weekend, Kınayer became concerned, but he said his nervousness gave way to excitement as the Kaptan Cevdet gets ready to leave, potentially in the coming days.
"The way back does not scare me,” the trainee navigational deck officer told Reuters via videolink from aboard the ship.
"We can say that our excitement and hopes have been through the roof in recent days,” he said.
Kınayer’s ship is one of the dozens preparing to depart from three Black Sea ports blockaded by Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The opening comes after Moscow, Kyiv, Ankara and the United Nations signed a grain-and-fertilizer export deal meant to ease concerns over a growing global food crisis.
Ukraine’s shipments via sea have stalled since February, stoking global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer. Moscow has denied responsibility for the food crisis, blaming Western sanctions for slowing exports and Ukraine for mining the approaches to its ports.
A joint coordination center was unveiled on Wednesday in Istanbul to oversee ships departing Ukraine and inspect incoming ships for weapons. It will include U.N., Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish delegations.
Ukrainian, U.N. and Turkish officials have all said the first vessels could depart one of the Black Sea ports in a few days.
A Turkish official said on Wednesday all the details had been worked out, including a safe route for ships that will not require the clearing of sea mines.
Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Wednesday said demining the waters was not immediately required but that could change.
"There is a slight uneasiness but it is good for us that controls will be made and that other ships will be escorting us. This makes us feel safe,” said Kınayer, when asked how he was anticipating a journey with mine sweepers and military escorts.
He and his crew-mates have lived on the ship for the past five months, required to stay on board by the vessel’s operators, given the potential difficulties of returning should they leave.
Kınayer said they were frightened when Russia launched its invasion in February, with people fleeing the nearby city of Odessa and growing concerns about to how to find food.
The nerves returned on Saturday when another Russian strike hit Odessa’s port, almost immediately throwing into jeopardy the grain deal that was signed just hours before in Istanbul.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the strike had been aimed at military infrastructure.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have said they will push forward with the agreement, the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict, now in its sixth month.
"We were a bit scared by the attack a couple of days ago thinking, ‘What will happen to the deal?’” he said.
"Our emotions are complicated. As the final days arrive, we feel both excitement and joy,” Kınayer said.
Although his first experience as a deck cadet, learning how to be an officer in charge of a navigational watch, was overshadowed by war, Kınayer said his love for sea trumped everything.
"It is bad that my first experience turned out to be this way and it will have a scar on me. But since I build my future with the sea, I don't think about quitting (this profession) because this happened,” he said.