A Maltese cargo ship, the MV Ruby, is currently sailing in the waters of the English Channel, after being refused access by several ports. The cause was the damage it suffered while transporting highly explosive cargo.
An unwanted ship. The cargo ship MV Ruby, which is carrying 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a potentially explosive product, is currently moving through the Channel. While it has experienced a series of damages, the ship, registered in Malta, and which is currently off the British coast, is worrying the authorities of different countries, as well as certain experts.
Measuring 183 meters long, the cargo ship, which belongs to the Maltese company Ruby Enterprise, according to the BBC, is carrying a Russian cargo of ammonium nitrate. Departing from the town of Kandalakcha, Russia on August 22, the ship was then caught in a violent storm and found itself forced to stop at a Norwegian port.
But, according to the Center for European Policy Analysis (Cepa), the cargo ship received the order on September 4 to leave the port. He then asks to dock in Lithuania, but the country refuses.
“Extremely explosive”
Why such a refusal? Because the cargo ship is damaged, suffering from a propulsion failure, a rudder fault and a damaged hull, according to the BBC, citing the Norwegian maritime authorities. Enough to fear a dramatic accident, while the ship is transporting cargo with high explosive potential.
In fact, although it is regularly used as fertilizer, ammonium nitrate is also used in the manufacture of explosives.
“Ammonium nitrate is extremely explosive, especially when exposed to fire or contamination,” underlines Cepa.
Fear of a similar scenario in Beirut in 2020
“It’s a floating bomb,” said Paul Poulain, specialist in industrial risk management, to BFMTV.
“It is a threat to maritime safety and coastal populations. In my opinion, we will have to consider transferring small quantities of ammonium nitrate to small boats to minimize the risk,” he assures.
Cepa recalls that in 2020, the port of Beirut, in Lebanon, was the victim of a strong ammonium nitrate explosion. 235 deaths and more than 6,000 injured were recorded. The damage could even be greater in the event of an explosion of the Ruby, the Maltese cargo ship carrying 7 times more nitrate than the one stored in Beirut, according to the geopolitical analysis center.
Reassuring speech from the French authorities
On the French side, the authorities want to be reassuring. “We are well aware of the situation,” assures BFMTV Étienne Baggio, spokesperson for the Manche maritime prefecture.
“We are following (the boat). We have direct links with the British authorities and with the shipowner which would allow us to intervene extremely quickly if necessary,” he maintains.
In detail, Étienne Baggio ensures that in the event of a problem, “a system” exists which “would make it possible to assist” the cargo ship “on the high seas”. “There are no plans to make a stopover in the port,” said the spokesperson despite everything.
Malta demands that it unload its cargo
Chemistry professor at University College London Andrea Sella also tempers concerns. “Although I understand the caution of the authorities in Tromsø (in Norway, Editor’s note), I suspect that the risks of a catastrophe similar to that in Beirut are relatively modest,” he told the BBC.
Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, points out the “immense” environmental risks in the event of an accident.
In Malta, the final destination of the Ruby cargo ship, the authorities are cautious. They have already warned that the ship will not be allowed to dock as long as it is carrying ammonium nitrate.
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