The ministry does not give the reason for the delay. The MarineTraffic website showed that the ship was maintaining an average speed of just 10 knots (more than 18 kilometers per hour) on Monday.
The cargo ship, which sails under the flag of Sierra Leone, will not enter a port, but will anchor off the coast of Istanbul. The ship left the Ukrainian port of Odessa earlier Monday, making it the first grain-loaded ship since the Russian attack on Ukraine began in late February. After the inspection in Istanbul, the ship continues to Lebanon.
Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement on July 22, after mediation by the United Nations and Turkey, to allow grain exports from Ukraine from three ports. Exports are controlled from a joint control center in Istanbul.