Today we are doing the best we can: Keeper tells about the work of Odesa ports under fire

Today we are doing the best we can: Keeper tells about the work of Odesa ports under fire

Kyiv  •  UNN

May 20 2024, 03:32 PM • 25268 views

The grain corridor from Odesa is working despite constant Russian attacks, with a growing number of ships leaving the port under military escort.

The enemy is constantly attacking Odesa with "shaheds" and rockets, trying to destroy the port infrastructure. Nevertheless, the grain corridor is working, and the dynamics of its work demonstrates an increase in volume. The head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, Oleh Kiper, told Censor.Net in an interview, UNN reported.

Details

This is the second grain corridor, Kiper said. The first one, when the agreement was concluded with the mediation of the UN and Turkey, worked for almost a year. Back then, all ships entering and leaving the Bosphorus were inspected, and without the consent of any party to the agreement, the ship could not go further. And in July 2023, this corridor ceased to operate, as Russia withdrew from the agreement, the head of the regional state administration comments.

"At the end of the summer, the president set a task to find a way out of this situation. Everyone involved worked, communicated with the business, so that at least one of the shipowners agreed to go to sea. In September, we found such a company. It was the first vessel to go out - a large container ship that had been idle since February 23, 2023, in the port of Odesa. The foreign shipowner agreed, and our military secured the passage. We watched this process from the shore. For us, it was something not only joyful but also exciting. We were worried until the ship left the combat zone. Now we are working around the clock, the military are also accompanying us around the clock, and there are days when there are 40-50 ships in the caravan. Today, we are doing our best to ensure that our businesses can operate. And not only in Odesa. Thanks to the instructions of the President and our military, the logistics capacity of the sea route has increased and many enterprises have started working," he adds.