The Times: Russian ship loaded with ammonium nitrate worries across Europe
A Russian ship is off the coast of Kent, UK, carrying highly explosive fertilizers estimated to be seven times more powerful than the one that caused the Beirut port blast.
The ship, known as the Ruby and flying a Maltese flag, is carrying 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate and came from a Russian port after being denied entry to other ports over safety concerns.
The ship is currently anchored outside UK territorial waters north of Margate, awaiting permission to enter the Strait of Dover, where it is being towed by a tugboat.
The ship has come in search of a port to anchor in for repairs after its hull suffered cracks as a result of a previous grounding.
According to Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a defense analyst and former naval officer at the Norwegian Defense Analysis Center, said, “the ship was in poor condition and its cargo posed a significant environmental risk, and questioned why the ship was allowed to sail in the first place”.
“The ship had numerous problems, including cracks in the hull and problems with the rudder, which meant it needed to be towed and could no longer sail independently,” he added.
The ship is currently anchored three kilometers (2 miles) from UK territorial waters, north of Margate and east of the Thames Estuary.
In order to enter the Strait of Dover and continue its journey to Malta, the ship must inform the authorities of its location, condition and the dangerous cargo it is carrying.
Although its stated destination is Malta, a spokesperson for the Maltese Transport Ministry said the ship won’t be allowed to enter territorial waters until its cargo of ammonium nitrate has been unloaded.
The ship had sailed from the port of Kandalaksha on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, where it was loaded with fertilizer, and ran aground there.
It later headed to the Norwegian city of Tromsø for repairs, but inspections by authorities revealed several defects, including cracks in the hull, the use of illegal fuel, safety issues, expired crew documents, and problems with the engine and rudder.
Authorities moved the ship away from Tromsø due to concerns about its explosive cargo, and it sailed south, where it temporarily docked near NATO’s Andøya air base.
When the ship asked for permission to proceed to Klaipeda in Lithuania for repairs, Lithuanian authorities refused to let it in until its cargo was unloaded.
Dan Kaszeta, a chemical weapons expert, points out that ammonium nitrate needs exceptional conditions to become dangerous, as happened at the Beirut port when it was stored in poor conditions next to flammable materials.
Although ammonium nitrate is less explosive than TNT, it needs a powerful catalyst to explode, making it usually safe to transport.
The ship is owned by a Dubai-registered shipping company and operates out of the Syrian port of Tartus, and records indicate that another Dubai-registered company with ties to Russia has chartered the ship.
Previously, activists had warned that unseaworthy Russian tankers transiting the Strait of Dover were causing catastrophic environmental damage, as most of them don’t meet industry standards for transporting oil and are trying to evade sanctions on Russian crude.
Despite this, the ships made around 400 trips through the English Channel last year alone.
The UK Coastguard and the Home Office have been contacted for comment on the matter, but have yet to respond.
