According to a Turkish official, more than 15 million tons of grain have been transported by hundreds of ships over the Black Sea under the Istanbul grain export agreement. The overall volume of goods moved has surpassed 15 million 80,000 tons, according to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu in a written statement.
According to Karaismailoglu, 585 grain-laden ships have departed Ukrainian ports in Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne towns as of Sunday.
Ships hauled around 13 different types of grain, including barley, wheat, soybean, sunflower meal, wheat bran, peas, sunflower seeds, processed mixed food, sugar beet, sunflower oil, canola seed, corn, and soybean oil.
According to Karaismailoglu, 200 of the 585 ships are Turkish-flagged, owned, or operated, while 171 of the total ships provide goods to Turkish ports. Türkiye received 15% of the overall cargo.
Some 12% of the cargo was sent to Africa, 29% to Asia, and 44% to Europe, he added, adding that over 2.9 million tons of goods were transported to Spain, followed by Türkiye with more than 2.2 million tons and China with more than 2.1 million tons.
In July, Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine announced an agreement in Istanbul to restore grain shipments from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which had been halted since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February.
To manage the supplies, the three nations and the UN established a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul.
Under the historic agreement, the first ship carrying grain sailed from the Ukrainian port of Odesa in August. Türkiye, widely lauded for its unique position as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, has consistently urged Kyiv and Moscow to stop the war via diplomacy.
