Since June 26, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) has not issued a single permit to join the Black Sea Grain Initiative to any new bulk carrier, UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Farhan Haq said on Friday.
“We note with concern that not a single new bulk carrier has been authorized to join the Black Sea Grain Initiative since June 26, despite 29 applications to the JCC,” Haq said at a briefing.
He emphasized that if new ships are not allowed to participate in the initiative, “millions of tons of food will be stuck in ports” until July 17, when the agreement expires.
According to Hack, only 13 ships are currently operating under the grain deal, either in Ukrainian ports or heading to or from Istanbul.
“The parties to the agreement should ensure that more bulk carriers pass through the maritime humanitarian corridor, which is a lifeline for global food security,” the Secretary-General’s representative said.
He also said that representatives of the UN and Russia may meet in the coming days to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea grain initiative.
On June 15, the JCC reported that more than 31.9 million tons of agricultural products had been exported from Ukraine under the grain initiative. This volume includes 625,169 tons of grain exported on dry cargo ships chartered by the UN World Food Program (WFP).
According to the JCC, the number of ship inspections has dropped significantly since May 25. From June 1 to 4, the JCC did not conduct any inspections due to another blockade by the Russian side.
