Controversial ship carrying ammonium nitrate set to discharge cargo in the UK today

A controversial Russia-linked bulk carrier loaded with a potentially explosive cargo of 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate will dock in the port of Great Yarmouth on Britain’s east coast having been denied entry at a number of other European ports over the past two months.

The 37,000 dwt open hatch carrier Ruby suffered damage in a severe storm off Norway at the beginning of September.

The Ruby was originally headed from the Russian city of Kandalaksha to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands but ran aground and sustained damage to its propeller, hull, and rudder. It sought repairs and refuge at multiple ports across Europe over the past eight weeks before UK authorities finally acquiesced.

“Aligned to the UK government and the Department for Transport’s approval of the MV Ruby entering UK waters, Peel Ports Group will take the responsibility of accommodating the vessel in a suitable berth under the strictest of safety measures,” commented Richard Goffin, port director for the port of Great Yarmouth.

The port has the capability to handle hazardous materials and the discharge and transhipment of such materials and cargo is common practice across Peel Ports Group.

The ship, listed in databases as managed by the UAE-based Serenity Ship Management, carries seven times the amount of ammonium nitrate that caused the 2020 port explosion in Beirut, which killed more than 200 people.