A shipment of grain from Ukraine is due to arrive in Ireland this afternoon (Saturday, August 20), according to grain and feed company R&H Hall.
The Navi Star, which is loaded with 33,000 tonnes of corn, is scheduled to dock in Foynes Port in Co. Limerick at 2:00p.m.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, is due to meet with the captain of the vessel upon its arrival to Ireland.
The ship departed from the Ukrainian port of Odesa a fortnight ago following an international agreement brokered by the United Nations (UN) and Turkey to facilitate the export of grain and other agricultural goods from Ukraine.
The deal between allows for selected vessels to depart through Black Sea Ports which had been blockaded since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
Yesterday, the secretary general of the UN, Antonio Guterres, visited the port of Odesa to see grain being loaded onto ships to mark World Humanitarian Day.
This shipment is being delivered to Ireland on behalf of R&H Hall, which trades and imports large volumes of grains and feed ingredients for the dairy, beef, sheep, horse, pig and poultry sectors.
The cargo will be discharged into storage before being collected by customers in the coming weeks.
The company stated that the safe passage of vessels from Ukrainian ports, such as the Navi Star, is a positive milestone for the global grain supply chain.
Commenting ahead of the vessel’s arrival, Philip Lynch, senior trader with R&H Hall, said:
“We would like to thank the captain and crew from the Navi Star for making the journey to Ireland, having made an extraordinary effort since originally planning to leave Ukraine in February.
“This is a great day for the Ukrainian agricultural industry and we hope that it is the first step in returning some degree of certainty to the global food supply chain in what remains a volatile situation,” he added.
Founded in Cork in 1839 as a family business, R&H Hall is jointly owned by W & R Barnett and Origin Enterprises Plc and employs almost 50 people.