Ukraine has taken the first step to unblock sea exports

The departure of ships with metal products from the ports of Great Odesa marked the beginning of the unblocking of exports by sea.

2 bulk carriers Primus, Anna Theresa and Ocean Courte left the ports of Great Odesa with rolled metal and iron ore concentrate. Ships have been blocked in ports since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

There were more than 76,000 tons of rolled metal produced by the Azovstal, Zaporizhstal, Kametstal and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plants on board the bulk carriers. The ships also took out 172,000 tons of iron ore concentrate produced at the plant of the Metinvest group, CTS reports.

The departure of ships from Odesa and Pivdennyi ports can contribute to the further unblocking of Ukrainian ports for all export goods.

“This is a historic moment, the first step towards the complete unblocking of sea exports for the entire nomenclature of Ukrainian products: fertilizers, metal, ore, food, pipes, equipment, etc. And, therefore, to the accelerated recovery of the economy of Ukraine, which suffered colossal losses, in particular due to the illegal blockade of the ports of Ukraine by the Russian Federation,” said Oleksandr Vodoviz, head of the project office of the CEO of the Metinvest group.

It is worth noting that the recently implemented temporary corridor is primarily used for the evacuation of ships that were in Ukrainian ports at the time of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. In total, 4 ships left the ports of Odesa via the new shipping route.