Ignoring Ukraine’s warnings, Egypt accepts vessel carrying 27,000 tons of stolen wheat — Sybiha

Despite repeated warnings from Ukraine, Egypt has allowed the vessel ASOMATOS (IMO: 9289855) to unload 26.9 thousand tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat in the port of Abu Qir, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X. The grain was sourced from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This marks the fourth case since April of illegal shipments of Ukrainian grain by Russia to Egyptian ports.

According to the minister, the ASOMATOS was granted permission to enter the port and discharge its cargo, even though four days earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine had officially appealed to Egypt’s Ministry of Justice for legal assistance regarding this illegal cargo. The wheat was exported by Agro-Frigat, a company operating from temporarily occupied Crimea that is under sanctions. Ukraine provided all necessary data and legal grounds to detain both the vessel and its cargo.

“Ukraine has for many years been a reliable guarantor of food security for Egypt, and we do not understand why our Egyptian partners repay this by continuing to accept stolen Ukrainian grain,” Sybiha wrote.

He called on the Egyptian authorities to adhere to international law, honour their commitments to Ukraine, and respect the principles of bilateral relations.

According to MarineTraffic, the vessel is currently moored at the port of Abu Qir. Its draught of 10 meters indicates that it has not yet been unloaded, although it arrived at the port on May 4.