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Minister: Over 36 million tons of goods exported via Black Sea corridor since August 2023

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Minister: Over 36 million tons of goods exported via Black Sea corridor since August 2023
The cargo vessel Captain Leonidas became the largest vessel to enter Ukrainian ports since the start of the full-scale invasion. Photo published on April 6, 2024. (Infrastructure Ministry/Telegram)

Over 36 million metric tons of goods have been shipped through Ukraine's Black Sea corridor since its opening in August 2023, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on April 6.

According to Kubrakov, Ukraine's corridor has already facilitated shipments of more goods than the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkey and the U.N. in July 2022.

As Russia effectively canceled the grain deal in July 2023, Ukraine opened a new corridor the following month. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route.

Since August 2023, 1,286 vessels have passed the corridor, exporting 25 million metric tons of agricultural products to Asia, Africa, and Europe, Kubrakov noted.

At the moment, 135 cargo vessels are waiting to enter ports in and around Odesa. They are expected to export 4 million metric tons of cargo.

"The ministry's team is working hard to ensure stable exports by the sea reach pre-war (export levels)," Kubrakov said.

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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