Turkish and Ukrainian officials say the ship left the southern port of Odesa early on Monday morning local time. Russia has been blockading Ukrainian ports since February, but the two sides made a deal to resume shipments.
It is hoped the agreement will ease the global food crisis and lower the price of grain.
Turkey said the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel, the Razoni, would dock at the port of Tripoli in Lebanon, adding that further shipments were planned over the coming weeks.
The Joint Co-ordination Centre, set up in Istanbul under the deal, said the ship was carrying some 26,000 tonnes of corn and was expected to arrive in Turkish waters for inspection on Tuesday.
UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomed the departure of the ship and hailed Turkey for its role in working to implement the agreement.
“Today Ukraine, together with partners, takes another step to prevent world hunger,” Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Alexander Kubrakov wrote on Facebook.
Credit: BBC
