Three more ships loaded with grain sailed from Ukraine today under a UN-backed deal lifting Russia's blockade of the Black Sea, Turkey's defence ministry said.
The Panama-flagged Navistar left Odesa for Ireland with 33,000 tonnes of grain, it said.
And two ships left the port of Chornomorsk - the Malta-flagged Rojen headed to Britain with 12,000 tonnes of grain, and the Turkish-flagged Polarnet sailed towards Turkey with 12,000 tonnes of grain.
Irish agri-food company R&H Hall said in a statement: "The recommencement of sailings from the Black Sea of vessels, such as the Navistar, is the first step in returning some degree of certainty to the global food supply chain in what remains a volatile situation.
"We look forward to the Navistar arriving at port in approximately two weeks."
A spokesperson for R&H Hall, Liam Walsh, told RTÉ News it is "delighted" the grain is on its way.
The ship will be inspected by authorities in Istanbul before sailing to Ireland. It is expected to dock in Foynes and then Dublin Port.
Formed in Cork in 1839, R&H Hall owns the 33,000 tonnes of grain onboard and said it is destined for the Irish agri-food market.
Navistar has been stuck in the port of Odesa since 24 February when the Black Sea was closed due to the war in Ukraine.
There has been a "skeleton staff" onboard who have checked and inspected the grain that was loaded up on 23 February.
Moscow and Kyiv agreed in Istanbul last month to resume shipments of wheat and other grain from Ukrainian ports for the first time since Russia invaded its neighbour in February.
In a rare diplomatic breakthrough in the five-month war, the United Nations and Turkey brokered a safe passage deal after the UN warned of famines due to Ukrainian grain shipments being halted.
Ukraine and Russia produce about one third of global wheat and Russia is Europe's main energy supplier.
The Turkish Defence Ministry said on Twitter the Panama-flagged Navistar, carrying 33,000 tonnes of corn bound for Ireland, departed from Odesa.
Ukrayna'dan İrlanda’ya gidecek olan ve 33 bin ton mısır taşıyan Panama bayraklı NAVISTAR isimli gemi Odessa Limanı’ndan hareket etti. Gemi İstanbul’un kuzeyinde Müşterek Koordinasyon Merkezi tarafından denetime tabi tutulacak. pic.twitter.com/xnGxEtnjXS
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 5, 2022
Meanwhile the first shipment of Ukrainian grain since Russia's invasion is expected to dock in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Sunday, state media and Ukraine's embassy said.
The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni set sail from the Ukrainian port of Odesa last Monday carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn and stopped in Turkey the next day.
The delivery is the first under a UN-backed deal, brokered with the help of Turkey last month, which aims to ease a global food crisis.
The ship is scheduled to reach Tripoli on Sunday morning, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said.
"Its arrival is expected at 10 am at the port of Tripoli," a Ukraine embassy spokesperson told AFP.
The Razoni was cleared for passage through the Bosphorus Strait by a team that included Russian and Ukrainian inspectors on Wednesday.
It comes as a meeting took place today with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
