First Ship Using the Ukrainian Corridor Arrives in Istanbul

A witness told Reuters today, Friday, that the first ship to use the Ukrainian corridor in the Black Sea has passed through the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey. The container ship "Joseph Schulte," registered under the Hong Kong flag, departed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa in the Black Sea, which has been blocked by Russia for days, after having remained in the port since February 23, 2022, the day before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine announced last week the establishment of a "humanitarian corridor" in the Black Sea to allow the departure of cargo ships stranded in its ports after the cessation of the grain export agreement last month. Moscow has not revealed whether it will respect the shipping corridor, and sources in the shipping and insurance sectors have expressed concerns about safety. Kyiv stated that "the corridor will primarily be used to allow the departure of ships stranded in Ukrainian ports." Local broadcasting stations reported that the ship will dock at the Ambarlı port in southern Istanbul.