Operational Black Sea for export

The Joint Coordination Center (JCC), responsible for controlling Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, was officially opened in Istanbul on Wednesday, according to agreements signed on July 22. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Agar said during a briefing that the CCC at a military academy would be led by an equal number — five — “of representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the UN and Turkey, both military and civilian.” ceremony

Under agreements signed four months ago between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by Turkey and under the UN, the CCC is responsible for inspecting ships leaving and arriving from Istanbul to guarantee that they are carrying nothing but grain. According to Agar, the convoys will depart from the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

“Preparation and planning for the first departures continues,” he said. The Ukrainian Navy announced that these three Ukrainian ports had “resumed operations”.

There will be no “military presence” around these convoys, said Mr. Agar listed the various tasks in the CCC, which include registering and monitoring merchant vessels participating in convoys, ensuring tracking via the Internet. By satellite, boats are to be inspected “by joint teams where appropriate” upon loading at Ukrainian ports and upon arrival at Turkish ports.