After Going Dark, Ship With Ukrainian Corn Appears In Syrian Port

The Razoni is pictured leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa on August 1.

The first ship to have left Ukraine under a UN- and Turkish-brokered deal two weeks ago to resume food and fertilizer exports amid the Russia-Ukraine war was said by a shipping source and satellite data to have docked early on August 16 in the Syrian port city of Tartus.

The ship, the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, departed Ukraine with its cargo of 26,000 tons of corn on August 1 and didn't unload in Lebanon as scheduled but went dark -- when a ship turns off the transponder beaming location data -- before appearing in Tartus.

Russia is a key ally that has helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad weather a brutal civil war and has a small naval facility at Tartus.

In June, Damascus recognized the independence declarations of two regions of eastern Ukraine where Russia-backed separatists have controlled wide swaths of land since 2014, prompting Kyiv to sever diplomatic relations with Syria.

Reuters quoted imagery from Planet Labs PBC as showing the Razoni at Tartus and a shipping source as saying at least some of its cargo was being unloaded there.

The original buyer in Lebanon reportedly refused delivery before the Razoni continued to Turkey on August 11, where some of the cargo was unloaded.

After setting sail on August 11, the Razoni appeared to turn off its transponder.

Ukrainian officials said they were no longer responsible for the cargo or vessel.

Kyiv has already accused Syrian authorities of taking at least 150,000 tons of grain stolen from Ukrainian stockpiles after Russia invaded in February.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet with the Ukrainian and Turkish presidents in Ukraine on August 18-19 including in the port city of Odesa in part to discuss the scheme that resumed grain and fertilizer shipments.

Based on reporting by Reuters