First ship carrying Ukrainian grain finally sold after Lebanese buyer refused cargo

The first grain cargo to depart Ukraine since Russia’s invasion has been sold in Turkey after its original buyer in Lebanon refused to take possession of the shipment, a Turkish shipping agent told Middle East Eye.

“[The] cargo sold… it will discharge at Mersin,” Ahmed al-Fares, from the Ashram Maritime Agency, told MEE, referring to the Turkish port city.

Fares, who is the Istanbul-based shipping agent for the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, did not disclose the buyer.

The ship will unload 1,500 tonnes of corn in Turkey, and will then proceed to Egypt with the rest of its cargo.

The Razoni, which was loaded with about 26,000 tonnes of corn, had been anchored off Turkey’s southern coast since Sunday after the Lebanese buyer refused to purchase the cargo.

Tags: Turkey, grain, Lebanon, shipment, cargo, Razoni, Ukraine, Russia, corn