No vessels departed Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Monday because of unfavorable weather conditions and electricity shortages, according to the Joint Coordination Centre. The port of Odesa, one of the export hubs covered by the deal, was temporarily closed after Russian forces targeted the city’s energy facilities on December 10. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned it would take several days to restore electricity because critical facilities were hit.

The UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative enables the export of certain agricultural products from three of Ukraine’s greater Odesa ports, Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhnyi. Departures from the export hubs are below the highs seen in September and October. According to the JCC, weekly ship sailings peaked at 55 during the week of September 19. A total of 19 ships sailed from Ukraine under the deal last week.

Growing demand to ship Ukrainian grain, poor compliance with procedures, unfavorable weather conditions and Russia’s alleged unwillingness to increase the number of inspections has delayed JCC activities, creating a logistics bottleneck and slowing traffic. Inspections are required under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The teams check documentation and look for any unauthorized cargo or crew.

A total of 657,235 tonnes of foodstuffs was shipped out of Ukraine under the grain deal in the week of December 5. While a higher volume than the previous month, when uncertainty over the renewal of the agreement further weighed on exports, it is nearly 40% lower than October’s figures.

There are 81 vessels queueing for inspection in Turkish waters as of December 12. A total of 61, with the export capacity of 2.2 MMT, are waiting to travel into Ukraine. The remaining 20 ships are laden and waiting to continue to their destination.

In all, 13.68 MMT of grain and other foodstuffs have been exported under the initiative, as per JCC data.