Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov took to social media to announce the Palau-flagged Aroyat bulk carrier left Chornomorsk port loaded with 17,600 metric tons of wheat.
The shipment bound for Egypt was the second from Chornomorsk, following a 3,000-ton delivery to Asia earlier this week.
Kyiv says its shipments will be routed through areas controlled by Bulgaria and Romania because of Russia’s withdrawal from the United Nations-backed grain export deal. Bulgaria and Romania are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.
Russia has not attacked Ukraine's new route, although it has increased pressure on its rival's Black Sea port infrastructure since Moscow abandoned the grain deal in July.
Ukrainian forces in turn have been aiming to undermine Moscow's military control over the Black Sea, including with attacks on Russian-annexed Crimea.
Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea fleet, has increasingly been targeted by drone and missile attacks, with Kyiv claiming to have damaged several Russian warships.
Civilian maritime traffic was stopped on Friday in Sevastopol, Russian-installed authorities said, without providing details.
But Russia's defense ministry said Friday that it had shot down a guided missile and two drones that had targeted the peninsula.
The Black Sea agreement had allowed grain shipments through the Black Sea, which had halted when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The loss of Ukrainian and Russian grain to world markets has contributed to soaring inflation and food shortages in many African nations.
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