Israel And Türkiye Reject Russian Bulk Carrier Carrying Alleged Stolen Ukrainian Grain

The Russian bulk carrier Panormitis has failed to unload its grain cargo after being refused entry by both Israel and Türkiye following Ukrainian claims that the shipment came from occupied Ukrainian territories.

The vessel left anchorage near the Turkish port of Iskenderun after waiting for permission to enter port, according to Ukrainian maritime monitoring reports and vessel tracking data.

Earlier, an Israeli importer also refused to unload the cargo at Haifa.

The case has increased scrutiny on Russian grain exports moving through the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean during the Ukraine war.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of exporting grain from occupied regions including Crimea and Kherson.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said Kyiv hoped Türkiye would follow Israel’s decision. “We hope they will do the right thing, just as Israel did,” he said.

According to Korniychuk, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and Prosecutor General’s Office were working to persuade Ankara to reject the shipment.

The Panormitis arrived off Iskenderun on May 13 after leaving Israeli waters. However, no official Turkish statement had been issued at the time of publication.

Ukrainian maritime logistics expert Kateryna Yaresko said on May 17 that the vessel had left the Iskenderun anchorage without unloading cargo.

“There are no official messages yet, but the situation looks as if Turkey refused to accept the ship carrying grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine,” she wrote.

According to Ukrainian officials and maritime monitoring sources, the vessel was carrying barley and wheat allegedly sourced from occupied Ukrainian territories.

Per reports, the ship was carrying around 25,000 tonnes of grain. The dispute had already caused tensions in Israel before the vessel sailed to Türkiye.

The Panormitis arrived near the Israeli port of Haifa on April 26 after loading grain near Novorossiysk in Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha formally raised the issue with Israel and asked authorities to inspect the cargo, check documents and question the crew.

Israel’s Grain Importers Association later confirmed that the cargo would not be unloaded because the importer rejected the shipment.

“The Russian supplier of the cargo will have to find an alternative destination to unload it,” the association said, according to reports cited in the source material.

The case has also drawn attention to allegations that Russia uses complex shipping networks to move grain from occupied Ukrainian territories into international markets.

Reports cited in the source material said some vessels involved in the trade use ship-to-ship transfers in the Black Sea, switch off AIS tracking systems and use forged documentation to hide the cargo’s origin.

Türkiye has tried to maintain relations with both Ukraine and Russia since the war began.

Ankara previously played a key role in the Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed at protecting global grain exports during the conflict.

After leaving Iskenderun, AIS tracking data cited in the source material showed Panormitis operating near the Turkish-Syrian maritime boundary, close to the Syrian ports of Tartus and Latakia.

According to the reports cited, Syria has remained a major destination for grain exported from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

References: turkiyetoday, NA News