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For the second month, a ship with ammonium nitrate from Russia, damaged after sailing, cannot be repaired in European ports. The local media and politicians have created such hysteria that the operator and the owner of the ship do not know what to do anymore. The cargo ship is stopped off the British coast.

On August 22, the cargo ship Ruby left Kandalaksha with a cargo of ammonia and headed for Malta. But it ran aground in Norwegian territorial waters and was damaged. Port State Control Inspectors in Tromso said the vessel had a cracked hull and a problem with the propulsion system, including a bent propeller.

In Tromso they refused to accept Ruby and, after temporary repairs, the ship continued on its way, trying to find a port in Europe for a major refit. However, nothing worked, because the media and politicians created hysteria. Some remembered the ammonium nitrate explosion at a warehouse in the port of Beirut, which destroyed part of the city and killed 200 people. And they emphasized that there was three times more ammonia on board – 20 thousand tons. Others raised conspiracy theories.

For example, former Lithuanian Ambassador to Russia Eitvidas Bayarunas wrote for the American Center for Policy Research (CEPA*) that the ship did not return to Russia, but is said to be looking for a European port for repairs, as this could be Russia’s hybrid strategy to destroy important installations. For example, because Tromso is a naval base. Or…

“Allowing Ruby to dock at Klaipeda would create a major security risk as the cargo would pose a direct physical threat to a critical infrastructure node, making it a trigger for instability if used by hostile actors . Klaipeda is vital for Lithuania and NATO in several strategic areas – military logistics, energy security and regional energy stability,” wrote the diplomat.

The hysteria against the Ruby with its ammonia cargo has caused headaches for the ship’s owner, Malta-based Ruby Enterprises, and its operator, UAE-based Serenity Ship Management.

A month and a half after sailing, the ship is still in limbo. It is almost 20 kilometers from Margate in the UK while the owners, managers, insurers of the P&I Club, insurers and the UK authorities, including SOSREP and the coastguard, are working to solve the problem resolved, The Isle of Thanet News writes.

“Unfortunately, due to the media speculation surrounding this vessel, UK ports are reluctant to accept the vessel,” – said Ruby’s owner representative. According to him, speculation led to the impossibility of reloading ammonium nitrate onto another ship so that the cargo vessel could be repaired.

*An organization whose activities are recognized as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation