A Syrian vessel with stolen Ukrainian grain, which arrived to the Lebanese port of Tripoli, is being inspected by the local customs because of Ukraine’s claims that the cargo is illegal. At the same time, the Turkish grain trader denies that the grain is stolen and assures that the goods were delivered from Russia.
As reported by “ProAgro Group” citing Reuters, a representative of the Turkish grain trading company Loyal Agro said that they planned to deliver 5,000 tons of grain to Lebanon for sale to private buyers, not the government of the country.
He specified that the Lebanese customs had not yet issued an import license, as the investigation into the origin of the grain was ongoing. The company representative assured that Loyal Agro had provided Lebanese customs with documentation confirming the legitimacy of the shipment, but refused to show the documents to journalists.
For his part, a Lebanese customs official confirmed on condition of anonymity that the ship was not unloaded at the port of Tripoli because of suspicions that it was carrying stolen goods. Customs did not provide an official comment.
Lebanon had previously imported most of its wheat from Ukraine, but supplies were interrupted by Russia’s invasion and blockade of Black Sea ports. Syria, from which the grain ship arrived, is a “gray” grain hub. That is where the Russian Federation delivers food stolen from Ukraine’s occupied territories.
