ICS has issued the below statement following the first commercial ship leaving the port of Odesa.

“We are pleased to see the safe transit of the Razoni and her crew from the port of Odesa. This is an encouraging proof of concept. We will continue to support the Joint Cooperation Centre as it develops the detailed operational procedures needed to ensure the safety of seafarers and ships operating in the ports of Chornomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhne.

“The safety of seafarers and port workers must remain the priority. Much work still remains to ensure that we can safely export the roughly 5 million tonnes of grain per month proposed by the UN. This will be a challenge, but our industry is resilient and is used to keeping trade flowing no matter what.”