Coastguard monitoring damaged ship packed with explosive Russian cargo | UK | News

A damaged ship carrying potentially explosive Russian fertiliser cargo is sat off the coast of England.

The vessel, named Ruby, is anchored around 14 nautical miles off the English coast of Kent, near the Dover Strait – one of the world’s busiest waterways.

Ruby is packed with 20,000 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, which was loaded onto the ship at a Russian port in July. The amount of ammonium nitrate onboard the Maltese-flagged cargo boat is about seven times more than the amount responsible for the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

The ship’s deadly cargo has sparked concern among several European countries and has even been rejected by two countries.

HM Coastguard issued an update earlier today on the status of Ruby, assuring Britons that the vessel is “currently securely anchored outside UK territorial waters”.

A spokesperson told Express.co.uk that Ruby was “waiting for appropriate conditions to refuel at sea before passing through the English Channel”.

The British coastguard is in “regular contact” with the vessel, which does not have to ask permission to travel through UK territorial waters “for legitimate purposes”.

They said there’s no suggestion that the cargo, which is used as a fertiliser, poses any immediate danger.

According to Vessel Finder, Ruby’s last port call was at Tromso, in northern Norway, on September 1.

Norway’s Maritime Authority told the BBC it found damage to Ruby’s hull, propeller and rudder during an inspection – but still deemed it seaworthy. Out of precaution, Norway ordered that an escorting tug, Amber II, accompany Ruby from the port.

However, since then, Lithuania and Malta have barred the ship from docking with its explosive cargo.

Algia Latakas, the chief executive of the port in Klaipeda, Lithuania, told the BBC that it was blocked “because of its cargo”.

Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a defense analyst at Nordic Defense Analysis and a former naval officer, told Dagbladet Information: “Nobody wants this ship because of the load. The best thing for this ship would be to return to Russia, where it came from.”

Ammonium nitrate is regularly transported around the world. It used as fertiliser but is also used in explosives.

Andrea Sella, professor of chemistry at University College London, said the cargo was not high risk, unless there was a fire on board.

She said: “While I understand the caution of the authorities in Tromsø, I suspect that the chances of a similar disaster to Beirut are relatively modest. It would also be interesting to know what the nature of the repairs might be as clearly welding might significantly raise the potential fire risk.”

Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, raised concerns about potential “environmental damage” from the ship. He said that a leak would cause immense damage” and “ongoing disruption”.

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