The cargo ship Razoni loaded with Ukrainian grain has unexpectedly anchored off the port of Mersin, Turkey. This is apparent from the ship tracking services vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com on Tuesday. Actually, the 26,000 tons of maize should be transported to the Lebanese port of Tripoli and from there, according to information from the German news agency, to neighboring Syria. About a day before arrival, the ship changed course.
The Razoni had left Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa a week ago – as the first ship after the end of a grain blockade by Russia, which was at war with Ukraine. After an inspection in Istanbul, she first left for Lebanon, but then unexpectedly declared “Order” as the new destination, ie an unspecified place from which a dealer then orders the loaded goods.
The Razoni has been anchored off the Turkish coast at Iskenderun since Saturday – and then left for the port of Mersin on Tuesday evening, according to Marinetraffic. The port manager was not immediately available for comment.
Buyer may have dropped out because of the long wait
The Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon, citing the freight forwarders, announced Monday evening that the buyer had jumped off – citing a long five-month wait due to the blockade. They are looking for a new recipient in Lebanon or elsewhere. That the Razoni changed destination shortly before arrival was “a little strange,” said a Marinetraffic spokesperson.
Lebanese government officials had previously told the dpa that traders likely wanted to take some of Lebanon’s expected grain shipment to neighboring Syria. Food exports to Syria’s civil war are legal, but made more difficult by the West’s financial sanctions against the Syrian government. For example, the Lebanese Hezbollah organization, which is affiliated with the regime in Damascus, is smuggling food and medicines into Syria on a large scale and also controls most illegal border crossings.
Confusion over ‘unsuitable’ cargo for Lebanon
Observers in Lebanon were also surprised by the large shipment of maize that was reportedly ground up and fed to animals. In its severe economic and food crisis, Lebanon needs wheat, not corn, said Hani Busali, president of the Lebanese Food Import Consortium. It also seemed possible that the planned transport to Syria – because of the great media attention for the Razoni – did not take place.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
