A ship carrying tons of corn and vegetable oil from Ukraine docked in northern Lebanon.
The ship called AK Ambition, registered in Panama and loaded with 7,000 tons of corn and 20 tons of vegetable oil, arrived in the northern city of Tripoli, with Ukraine Embassy officials waiting at the port.
AK Ambition is the first Ukrainian ship to dock in Lebanon since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor started around seven months ago.
Last month, Razoni, carrying grain from Ukraine, was turned back and eventually docked in Syria, Russia’s ally, after the Lebanese importer refused to accept the shipment, allegedly because of a delay.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ihor Ostash, said AK Ambition’s arrival was part of a deal signed between Ukrainian and Lebanese companies to bring weekly shipments to Lebanon.
Ukraine is one of the world’s major global grain suppliers but the war has blocked most exports. This led world food prices to soar in a crisis, including in Lebanon.
In early August, a Syrian ship, which Ukraine said was carrying stolen Ukrainian grain, left Tripoli after officials in Lebanon allowed it to sail following an investigation.
Laodicea had been anchored in Tripoli for days, with 10,000 tons of wheat flour and barley while Moscow denied Ukraine’s claim of stolen grain.
Lebanon’s economic crisis has led to soaring inflation and shortages of food items, such as wheat where around two-thirds of the population now lives in poverty.
