Berdyansk Port ready to reopen - authorities

BERDYANSK. June 14 (Interfax) - The Berdyansk Port will be ready to resume grain shipments, and wheat deliveries to Turkey are possible, head of the interim administration of Berdyansk and the Berdyansk district Alexander Saulenko said.

"We have the prospects of signing contracts with Turkey," Saulenko told Russian and foreign journalists.

The grain gathered in the Berdyansk district is ready for sale, he said.

"It's 100% that the grain will be sent from here [through the port]. There is quite a lot of grain in the district. Since we will soon have a new harvest and need to free up the warehouses, something needs to be done with the existing grain. Farmers also need to sell it in order to earn money," Saulenko said.

The infrastructure of the Berdyansk Port has been restored, and the port is ready to resume operations, he said.

"One needs to understand that the crane facilities, infrastructure and the majority of the port's piers have already been restored. The harbor pilot services and the services that organize the reception of vessels and the dispatch of cargoes are also ready. It is possible to say that the port is already up and running," Saulenko said.