a ship carrying a large explosive cargo scrutinized by the British and the French

A ship is currently sailing off the coast of Kent, England, loaded with 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The Maltese-flagged cargo ship MV Ruby departed from the Russian port of Kandalaksha on August 22. A storm forced him to stop at Tromso in Norway. The boat was damaged. Its hull, propeller and rudder are damaged, although the Ruby is judged “seaworthy”according to its owner.

The MV Ruby was ordered to sail on September 4 and wanted to stop at Klaipeida in Lithuania, which was refused. A refusal motivated by “his cargo”according to Algis Latakas, general director of the port authority, who testified to the BBC . “I suspect that the risks of a catastrophe similar to that of Beirut are relatively modest”nuanced Andrea Sella, professor of chemistry at University College London, to our British colleagues. The port of Beirut was blasted by two explosions on August 4, 2020, due to the storage of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a product used both for fertilizer and the manufacture of explosives. “It’s a floating bomb”judge Paul Poulain, specialist in industrial risk management, with BFMTV . “It is a threat to maritime security 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 added.

The MV Ruby anchored on September 25 about 15 miles northeast of Margate, Kent, near the Strait of Pas de Calais, one of the busiest waterways in the world. It must be refueled at sea, before heading back to Marsaxlokk, Malta. The island authorities, however, refuse its docking as long as it carries its cargo. “We follow (the boat, Editor’s note). We have direct links with the British authorities and with the shipowner which would allow us to intervene extremely quickly if necessary.assured Étienne Baggio, spokesperson for the Manche maritime prefecture, to BFMTV.