AP – A second container ship sailed on Saturday through a temporary Black Sea corridor established by Ukraine’s government after Russia halted a wartime agreement aimed at ensuring safe grain exports from Ukraine’s ports.
The Primus, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, left the port of Odesa on Saturday morning and was steaming south towards the Bulgarian port of Varna, according to data from marine traffic monitoring sites. Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko posted a photo of the vessel leaving port on his Telegram channel.
The Primus’ departure came 10 days after the launch of another container ship, the Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte.
The interim corridor, which Kyiv has asked the International Maritime Organization to ratify, was opened on August 10. Sea mines make the voyage risky, and ship insurance costs are likely to be high for operators.
Russia withdrew from the United Nations-brokered grain deal on July 17, with Kremlin officials arguing their demands for the facilitation of Russian food and fertiliser shipments had not been met.
