Ukraine Insists Black Sea Shipping Corridor Remains Open
By Pavel Polityuk Reuters October 26, 2023

KYIV, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov denied on Thursday reports by Ukrainian and British firms that the new Black Sea export corridor had been suspended.

“The information regarding the cancellation or unscheduled stoppage of the temporary #Ukrainian_corridor for the movement of civilian vessels from and to the ports of the Big Odesa (region) is false,” Kubrakov said on X, formerly Twitter.

“All available routes established by the Ukrainian Navy are valid and being used by civilian vessels.”

The Kyiv-based Barva Invest consultancy, British security firm Ambrey and a specialized outlet, Ukrainian Ports, reported that Ukraine had suspended use of the corridor due to a possible threat from Russian warplanes and sea mines.

Ukraine has been using the corridor to try to revive its seaborne exports without Russian approval, defying threats from Moscow which quit a U.N.-brokered deal in July that had allowed some food exports to flow despite the war.

“We would like to inform you of a temporary suspension of vessel traffic to and from (the ports). The current ban is in force on Oct. 26, but it is possible that it will be extended,” the consultancy said on the Telegram messaging app.

Chicago wheat futures Wv1, a global price benchmark, turned higher on the news to recover from an earlier two-week low. They later traded up about 1%.