Russian fertilizer vessel heads for West Africa

Amid grave concerns over global food supply, a second shipment of Russian fertiliser is scheduled to leave a Netherlands port to Malawi in West Africa on November 21, 2022.

Asl Tia, a cargo vessel carrying Ukrainian grain, sails on Bosporus to Marmara sea.
Source: ATP

The move, which follows talks between Moscow and the UN, comes after a first attempt was blocked in European ports because of sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine.

Announcing this to journalists, the Secretary General of UN’s Trade and Development Agency, UNCTAD, Rebeca Grynspan, said the vessel is being loaded and it will arrive Malawi through Mozambique.

According to Grynspan, there are about 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser in the different European ports.

She added that “Beyond Malawi, with the help again with the donation from Uralchem/Uralkali, the intervention of WFP, and the help of the World Bank and France, we hope that the next destination of the fertilisers will be West Africa. That has been very affected by the affordability crisis of fertilisers.”

Recall that as part of the two deals signed on July 22 in Istanbul to ensure free access to food and fertiliser from Ukraine and Russia, the WFP had announced of plans to facilitate the donation of 260,000 tonnes of fertiliser by the Russian fertiliser company Uralchem-Uralkali to the neediest countries in Africa, with Malawi as its first destination.

Agricultural products and fertilisers do not fall under the sanctions against Russia. Last week, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed between Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the UN allowing Ukrainian grain exports from Ukrainian ports, was extended for 120 days from today, November 19.

According to the United Nations, 10 million tonnes of grain and other foods have been exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea initiative, fighting off a global food crisis.