Navigating mines and threatened by war, ships laden with grain are expected to leave Odesa soon.
If all goes to plan, a ship captain will weigh anchor at a wharf in Ukraine’s Odesa region in the coming days and steer a cargo vessel loaded with grain through the port before heading gingerly out into the Black Sea. A government vessel will lead the ship through a maze of mines and a rescue boat will follow.

Many eyes will be tracking the voyage. It would be the first since the signing of a deal last Friday to allow a resumption of Ukraine’s grain exports, which have been blocked since Russia’s invasion five months ago by Moscow’s dominance in the Black Sea and Kyiv’s decision to mine its southern ports to forestall a Russian amphibious assault.

Ukraine and Russia together supply more than a quarter of the world’s wheat, and Russia is also a major supplier of fertilizer. Ukraine is also a leading exporter of barley, corn and sunflower.