United Nations has said “urgent” steps are needed to relieve a backlog of more than 150 ships involved in a deal

The United Nations has said “urgent” steps are needed to relieve a backlog of more than 150 ships involved in a deal which allows Ukraine to export grain from ports in the Black Sea, Qazet.az reports.

The comments by Ismini Palla, a UN spokesperson for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, come as Ukraine accused Russia of blocking the full implementation of the agreement.

The deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey to facilitate Ukrainian grain shipments that it had blocked since the start of its war with Ukraine, comes up for renewal next month.

Russia has threatened to pull out, claiming that the deal is not directing grain to the world’s poorest countries.

Vessels carrying grains and other foodstuffs to and from Ukrainian ports must be inspected by teams organised by the four-party Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) at anchorages in Turkey.

Palla said:

There are currently over 150 vessels waiting around Istanbul to move and these delays have the potential to cause disruptions to the supply chain and port operations.