Dozens of ships are unable to reach Ukraine days after an agreement to transport Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea was extended, and the pace is unlikely to pick up due to slow inspections and other uncertainties, Reuters reported. , which cites three sources as well as maritime trade data.

The UN-backed agreement, which allows the safe passage of grain through three Ukrainian ports, was extended on May 17 for two months – a shorter period than stipulated in the initial documents concluded last summer, News. resembles ro

Nearly 40 transport ships have been stationed around Istanbul in areas used for inspections, an analysis by global trading platform Kpler shows. These checks are carried out by a joint group, which includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, as well as the UN.

According to Kpler, almost three-quarters of these ships had previously entered through this corridor. “It is likely that other vessels are waiting outside these areas or are currently en route to the inspection areas,” said Alexis Ellender, senior analyst at Kpler.

“I expect that Russia will continue to slow down inspections”

Earlier this week, Ukraine accused Russia of effectively excluding the Pivdenny port from the grain agreement. Russia did not respond to Kyiv’s accusations.

“The Southern accounted for 35% of shipments through this corridor, and until it resumes loading, it will be difficult for trade to return to previous levels,” Ellender said.

Ukraine said last week that 62 ships were awaiting inspection.

“I expect that Russia will continue to slow down inspections. It currently only allows a limited number of vessels to proceed to two of the three approved ports,” said Arlan Suderman, chief economist at financial services group StoneX.

Each ship must undergo an inspection before it can enter one of the three Ukrainian ports covered by the agreement, which, in addition to the South, also includes Odesa and Chornomorsk.

Supply sizes are decreasing because the situation is uncertain

According to spatial data provider Spire, the average trip duration is estimated at just over 28 days.

According to a separate analysis by the Shipfix platform, the number of cargo orders – global requests for vessels available to transport grain from Ukraine – reached 376 in May, compared with 370 orders in April.

Shipfix data showed shipments fell from around 15,000 tonnes in April to just over 10,000 in May as uncertainty forced traders to be cautious in their bookings.

Advance orders for June freight are currently estimated at 50, according to Shipfix.

Read also: PHOTO Psychological operation of Russian hackers: Tens of kilometers of ship routes in the Black Sea were drawn with the letter Z

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