The first merchant vessel to leave the port of Odesa and sail along the new sea corridor has arrived in Istanbul.

Reuters reported about this on Tuesday.

The Hong-Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte container ship crossed the Turkish Bosphorus on Friday.

She left the Russian-blockaded Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Wednesday, August 16.

This is the first vessel to use the temporary transport corridor opened by Ukraine in the Black Sea after Russia’s withdrawal from the Grain Initiative. The vessel is carrying more than 2,000 containers with 30,000 tons of cargo, including food.

Joseph Schulte had been in the Ukrainian port since February 23, 2022. She arrived in Odesa before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The container ship is reported to anchor at Ambarli port in the south of Istanbul.

As previously reported, last week Ukraine announced the creation of temporary corridors in the Black Sea for merchant vessels sailing to and from Ukrainian ports.

These routes will primarily be used for the exit of civilian vessels that have been in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

The vessels of those owners/captains who have officially confirmed their readiness to sail in the current conditions will be allowed to pass through the routes.

As previously reported, on July 17, Russia announced the withdrawal of shipping safety guarantees within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

After that, Russia began to attack Ukrainian port infrastructure in order to stop the access of Ukrainian food to world markets.