First Ship With Ukrainian Grain Cleared to Proceed to Lebanon After Istanbul Inspection

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The first commercial vessel that left Ukraine under the Black Sea grain deal was inspected in Istanbul on Wednesday and cleared to proceed to Lebanon, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) said.

"The first shipment of over 26,000 tons of Ukrainian food under a Black Sea export deal was cleared to proceed today, towards its final destination in Lebanon," the JCC said in a statement.

A joint civilian inspection team comprising officials from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations visited the merchant vessel Razoni this morning.

"The team carried out a three hour inspection and confirmed that crew and cargo are as authorised and consistent with the information the JCC received before the vessel sailed from Odessa," the center added.

Razoni became the first food-laden ship to travel from Ukraine after Moscow and Kiev agreed to secure the flow of grain and fertilizers via the Black Sea to avoid a global food crisis.