Historic milestone: First seaborne exports of steel and iron ore since full-scale invasion

The second, third and fourth ships that managed to leave Ukrainian ports after the termination of the grain agreement were ships with products of the Metinvest Group, namely the vessels Primus, Anna Tereza and Ocean Courtesy, the company's press service reported.

For the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war, ships with the products of Ukrainian metallurgists broke through the naval blockade of Ukraine.

"The breaking of the sea blockade by ships with Ukrainian steel is a historic moment, the first step towards the complete unblocking of sea exports for the entire nomenclature of Ukrainian products: fertilizers, metal, ore, food, pipes, equipment, etc. And therefore, to the accelerated recovery of the Ukrainian economy," said Oleksandr Vodoviz, head of the project office of the CEO of the Metinvest Group.

Unblocked ships deliver products of Ukrainian metallurgists and miners, manufactured even before the start of a full-scale war.

These are more than 76,000 tons of rolled metal produced by the Azovstal, Zaporizhstal, Kametstal, and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plants, as well as 172,000 tons of iron ore concentrate produced at Metinvest Group's mining and processing plants.

On August 12, Ukraine began registering vessels for passage through corridors in the Black Sea.

On August 16, the first ship left Odesa through the new corridor. On August 18, this ship arrived in Istanbul.