Miller Magazine Issue: 153 September 2022

86 ARTICLE MILLER / SEPTEMBER 2022 Deal are required to proceed strictly via the devised route. •Buffer zone. Ships exporting Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea are protected by a 10 nautical mile buffer zone covering the route from Türkiye to the Ukrainian territorial seas. This means that no military vehicle will be allowed to come close to vessels proceeding via this route. Upon entrance to the Ukrainian territorial seas, ships continue to be protected by Ukrainian authorities. To bring the above arrangements into life, the parties have created the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul consisting of the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Tür- kiye and the United Nations. This entity plays a major role in implementing the Grain Export Deal as it is en- trusted to monitor the movement of vessels and ensure compliance with the procedures developed through the Grain Export Deal. The crucial function of the Joint Coordination Cen- tre is the security check – whether vessels that are willing to carry the goods from the Ukrainian ports are acceptable under the Grain Export Deal. To pass this check, the vessels are obliged to comply with the fol- lowing requirements. •Verification of vessels. All ships calling the Ukrainian ports must be registered in the Joint Coordination Centre. Ship owners or ship operators are required to submit to the Ukrainian port authorities a special document setting out their vessel details and itinerary together with the request for port entry at least 44 hours before arrival at the Istanbul inspection area. •Inspection in Türkiye. After the verification, vessels will have to pass inspection in the harbours determined by Tür- kiye at the entry to the Turkish strait and exit from it (both in- bound and outbound voyages). To this end, the inspection teams consisting of representatives of the parties will be set up in Türkiye. The primary responsibility of the teams will be to check whether there are any unauthorised cargoes and personnel on board vessels. While transiting the maritime corridor, any party to the Grain Export Deal may also re- quest an inspection of vessels against security guarantees if any suspicious activities occur on their board. •Schedule of transit. Upon inspection of vessels, they will have to transit to and enter the Ukrainian ports in line with the schedule approved by the Joint Coordination Centre. •Guidelines for shipowners. The vessels must also follow