A damaged cargo ship carrying 20,000 tonnes of potentially explosive fertiliser from Russia is currently anchored some 15 miles off Margate.
HM Coastguard is in contact with the vessel, MV Ruby, and will continue to monitor its progress towards and through UK waters.
The cargo ship,which is Maltese registered and carrying the ammonium nitrate cargo, previously reported a cracked hull and damage to its propeller and rudder but has since been deemed seaworthy. The vessel is seeking a port in which to dock to undergo repairs.
The ship set off from the northern Russian port of Kandalaksha in August with its current destination listed as Malta. It is reported that it may be denied entry unless it empties its cargo first.
The vessel is making her own way, accompanied by an escort tug. She is reportedly carrying seven times more ammonium nitrate than the amount that caused an explosion that destroyed part of Beirut in 2020, killing 200 people.
Nigel Scutt, of Dover Strait Shipping, outlined the vessel’s current situation: “Soon after loading and leaving Kandalaksha, Russia, on August 22nd, Ruby encountered a storm four days later and ran aground in Norwegian territorial waters, whilst seeking shelter.
“Her grounding resulted in hull, rudder and propeller damage. As a distressed ship, requiring a port of refuge, three countries refused to admit the vessel into port, no doubt mindful of her cargo. One did allow the vessel to berth temporarily, the Norwegian port of Breivika, Tromso. The only problem there was that the berth was just 500 metres from one of the largest hospitals in the country, not to mention a university and many hundreds of homes.
“Ruby was rapidly inspected and soon after, was instructed to depart and after stooging around the Baltic for a period, departed those waters, for a transit of the Straits, her stated AIS destination, Malta. No official word has been forthcoming, confirming whether the Maltese port of Marsaxlokk or Valetta is prepared to receive her either. Ruby’s AIS data periodically changes between the two.
“Up until yesterday, Ruby was accompanied by the Malta-flagged tug Amber II, which, according to her AIS data is now bound for Rotterdam, but a similar anchor handling tug, Opal, operated by the same company, looks to be taking over the escort duty, her stated AIS destination being La Spezia, Italy.
“The voyage will not be an easy one. In essence, will any port agree to let her discharge her cargo? Perhaps, the vessel will lay off somewhere and tranship part cargoes to smaller ships. And perhaps, in the worse case scenario, she could founder.
HM Coastguard says it has 24/7 capability to respond to requests for assistance and to ensure the safety of shipping within UK waters.
what are the chances of this ship surreptitiously dumping its cargo somewhere in the Channel ?
None
It could be a deterrent to stop the boats
Whar a stupid comment
In Beirut in 2020 there was a huge explosion from a freighter carrying 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which caused 218 deaths, 7000 injuries, $15b in property damage and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. This ship which is carrying over 7 times the amount luckily is moored nowhere near as close to our coastline as that vessel was but the shockwave it would cause if it did go up would do serious damage to all the costal towns nearby.
It hasn’t been allowed to dock in Norway or Lithuania, Valletta/Malta is even more built up so it’s unlikely to be allowed to dock there if the Norwegians and Lithuania’s won’t allow it.
There is no hope of it going up the Thames as could you imagine if it went up next to the SS Montgomery!
Where will they unload it?
Yep and add SS Montgomery in to the mix and then what?
It’s only Margate.
Would be better closer to Ramsgate.
No it wouldn’t.
It would for me.
Preferably outside Wetherspoons.
I don’t think you and your friend the suspended one, would be quite as sanguine if it really did go bang, as Birchington might not get off scot free.
The shipping industry is full of idiots who expect others to fail them out of predicaments.
The tug won’t be there long if there is no prospect of salvage, and then what happens?
The Goodwins are not far away.
I’m in Northumberland.
Avenue?
wrong image of the vessel btw
Oh really, It was listed as MV Ruby. I’ll check
All sorted now thanks to our friends at Dover Strait Shipping – FotoFlite
This boat should be turned round and returned from whence it came. The load is highly dangerous. The Maltese have already said they will not accept it docking there. If allowed to proceed it will be a constant threat to any port or country it approaches. Let Russia deal with their own mess. What is there to stop it being towed up the thames and ignited by Tower Bridge. Who knows what Putin’s plan is. I doubt Border Force could stop it. It’s like the Cuban Missile Crisis repeating itself.
My memory is poor these days, but wan’t there a terrorist threat some years ago to do just that James? It was stopped but if I remember correctly the threat was to load a ship with 50,000 tonnes of (nitrate) fertiliser, and beach it in London, in the Thames?
Surely a situation like this should be resolved by government, not a coastguard.
Do you have any faith in the current snouts in the pig trough licking government? They can’t even release the right prisoners back onto the streets early.
please don’t turn my comment into a political slanging match. Parties were not involved in my comment, only that such a potentially serious issue should be taken to government level.
They released you into society, oink oink!
My parents are to blame for that.
Surely, something as dange=rous as this should be a government issue, not the coastguard.
Is it waiting for the weather to improve before it moves on or is it hoping we will help out? Be good to have an update from the government on the situation.
Won’t help if MOD Shoeburyness lets off some of those mysterious big bangs we frequently hear around Thanet.
Surprised it’s not in harbour like ever other potential dangerous thing comes out the sea
Rumours are TDC ( after many, many meetings) are applying for a grant to make it a tourist attraction all year round – with boat trips to the ship so all the tourists it will attract can board the vessel and have tours . More excitingly further plans are apparently afoot to make it a floating hotel.
I mentioned the SS Montgomery and the risk of Ruby being near is if something goes wrong.
Extract from wiki – According to a BBC News report in 1970,[12] it was determined that if the wreck of Richard Montgomery exploded, it would throw a 300 metres (980 feet)-wide column of water and debris nearly 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) into the air and generate a wave 5 metres (16 feet) high. Almost every window in Sheerness (population circa 20,000) would be broken and buildings would be damaged by the blast.
I was one of a number of assistant Civil Engineers to the Chief Civil engineer constructing the largest power station in Europe in the early 70’s, on the Isle of Grain, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear large explosions without warning. These were caused by bombs from the Montgomery apparently, that washed up on the beach, and if memory serves, it was the navy who blew them up! I don’t know if this still happens, or perhaps the explosives are being washed out now, to make the bombs harmless(sic)
What does ‘being washed out’ involve Dumpton? Where would the Ammonium Nitrate go – into the sea or into another vessel?
This is confusing, was it Malta that wanted the caro originally?
Its over 60 years since I was involved with disposing of dangerous ammo Carina, and that was mainly sea dumping of old war time explosives into the North Sea! Presumably washing out explosives nowadays is pumped into a tanker to be harmlessly disposed of after treatment!
It is close to a major shipping lane and not too far from various wind farms. I’m sure there is nothing to worry about until there is.