THE Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) announced a new route for merchant vessels involved with the three Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi/Yuzhny under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, reports Mumbai's Marine Insight.

The new route is 320 nautical miles long and connects the three Ukrainian ports with the inspection areas inside Turkish territorial waters.

The maritime humanitarian corridor extends from the boundary of Ukrainian territorial seas to a southern waypoint.

It allows for shorter transit in the maritime humanitarian corridor and easier planning for the shipping industry.

While transiting the maritime humanitarian corridor, no military ship, aircraft, or unmanned aerial vehicle may approach within 10 nautical miles of any vessel engaged in the initiative.