Istanbul - (AFP) - With the acceleration of grain exports from Ukraine, traffic is forming at the gates of the Bosphorus, as cargo ships line up endlessly off the coast of Istanbul.

150 cargo ships, some empty and others loaded, were waiting on Tuesday at the entrance and exit of the strait before undergoing the rigorous inspection process that would allow them to sail, with the waiting period possibly reaching about 12 days sometimes.

The agreement signed with Kiev and Moscow on July 19, under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey, for the export of Ukrainian grain , has allowed more than 630 ships to cross in both directions since it entered into force on August 1.

In total, more than 6.9 million tons of grain went to Europe and the Middle East, and a smaller percentage to Africa, according to data from the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, which authorizes and checks flights.

Wheat and maize constitute the main part of exports aimed at relieving pressure on global markets and responding to fears of a food crisis.

The crew of the black-and-white cargo ship "Nordfind", which flies the Barbados flag, is relieved as the team of investigators prepares to board.

Marwan, a Syrian sailor, told AFP that they had been waiting "for 11 days, which is a very long time."
He explains that what makes waiting more difficult is that "the berthing area is difficult. The ship's location must be constantly changed and the engines re-launched," asking, "Why are we waiting like this?"

It was the Joint Coordination Center that warned of the situation at the end of last week, pointing to the long waiting times, despite its efforts to double the number of inspection teams, "from two teams to four."

While the navigation traffic with the Ukrainian ports returned to normal, the Joint Coordination Center stated in a statement that "the waiting time for cargo ships leaving (from Ukraine) last week reached an average of nine days," referring to the "crowding of the Sea of Marmara" with ships.

While there was a discussion about renewing the agreement on November 19, the Coordination Center asked the ship owners to strictly adhere to the approved procedures and to complete all preparations “before announcing that they are ready” because “in more than fifty cases, it was not possible to complete the inspection process from the first time.” ".

For their part, shipping companies complain about the deadlines that cost them "five thousand dollars a day, in addition to the lost profits," according to an observer who requested anonymity.

Each team includes eight inspectors, two of them for each of the parties to the agreement, Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkey, with the two Turkish inspectors handling logistical issues in particular.

The inspection of the 169-meter-long "Nordfind" ship, loaded with 27,250 tons of wheat, takes no less than two hours.

While part of the team was on the ship, the other members noticed that the doors of the holds were open, which posed a danger to the inspectors, so everyone rushed to get off again, which led to wasting about ten minutes.

Odani Pereira, the inspector who was dismissed by the Sri Lankan navy to the United Nations, explained that each shipment is supposed to be treated with insecticides through steam sterilization technology, to protect the grains from various pests.

"After that, the wards should be ventilated, but they should have been closed before our arrival for the sake of the team's health," she added.

After they board the ship, the inspectors share tasks between verifying the ship's logs and documents, examining the identity papers of the crew members, the voyage the ship took, the fuel tanks, and of course the status of the grain.

Odani Pereira checks the crew's documents and checks out the section designated for their accommodation "to ensure that no unauthorized person is on the ship".

In the meantime, her two Ukrainian colleagues check the amount of fuel in the tank, and the two Russian inspectors descend along the corridors to check the wards.

One of them says to the captain, "Your ship is one of the best."

Nord Find finally gets the green light to head to Tunisia, its final destination.

In the morning, the inspection of the 225-meter-long Singapore-flagged Cola Treasure took more than three hours as it waited empty to proceed to Kronomorsk, near Odessa.

"The duration depends on the size of the ship and how prepared it is. This morning, there were missing documents," the young inspector said.
This resulted in a great deal of wasted time, and by the end of the day, only two of the four ships originally scheduled had been inspected.