The first container ship JOSEPH SCHULTE (Hong Kong flag) used the temporary corridor established for civilian ships to/from Black Sea seaports, the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development (Ministry of Restoration) reported on Facebook on Wednesday.

"The container ship JOSEPH SCHULTE is moving along the temporary corridor. On July 16, the container ship, which has been in the port of Odesa since February 23, 2022, left the Vorontsov lighthouse and is heading for the Bosphorus. There are more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo (2,114 containers), in particular, with food on board," Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, wrote on Facebook.

He noted that the corridor, first of all, will be used for the evacuation of ships that were in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdenny at the time of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

According to navigation order of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine No. 6, temporary routes for the movement of civilian ships to/from the Black Sea seaports of Ukraine began to operate from August 8, 2023.

Kubrakov recalled that Ukraine proposed this route in its appeal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

"The IMO Council recognizes Ukraine's international right to free commercial navigation and calls on Russia to stop any threats and adhere to international conventions," Kubrakov stressed.

The Deputy Prime Minister also recalled that the last time the ship left the port of Odesa was on July 16 as part of the Grain Initiative. After the failure of the Grain Deal, Russia began to use systemic air attacks on port infrastructure to stop Ukrainian agricultural exports. At the same time, information speculations and attempts at provocations in the Black Sea were observed in order to influence the movement of ships to Ukrainian ports.