Ukraine confirmed that 12 outbound vessels proceeded along the corridor on October 31. They reported it was a new one-day record of 354,500 tons of agricultural products. The total for the exports is nearing 10 million tons since the program began shipments in August. 

The UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Amir Abdulla Tweeted an image of the corridor showing ships waiting at each end. He wrote, “Civilian cargo ships can never be a military target or held hostage. The food must flow.”

Despite the pressure to continue the shipments and extend the agreement, everyone remains on edge. There are fears that insurers might be spooked by Russia’s latest moves and stop writing insurance or raise the price to make it prohibitive for shipowners. Diplomatic efforts are continuing to try to find a solution while everyone is waiting for word from the Joint Coordination Center if vessels will be permitted to sail along the Black Sea corridor.