Chemical vessel damage|Anchored on the western side of the Danish straits, the ship spent most of last year in Asia. It was supposed to head from Russia to the Canary Islands.
Dangerous Fertilizer freighter MV Ruby has been in the headlines for the past few days.
A Syrian-owned cargo ship heading to Lithuania’s Klaipėda for repairs has been stopped since Friday Off the coast of Norway.
The ship has attracted attention both because of its cargo and its departure port in Russia.
Who owns the ship?
The ship is incorporated To Malta. However, its owner is a Lebanese company, which in turn is owned by a Syrian. The ship is currently chartered by a company operating in the United Arab Emirates.
The freighter is inspected in Norway.
According to information from Helsingin Sanomat, complex ownership and rental relationships are common in freight traffic.
Why is there news about MV Ruby?
MV Ruby left Russia from the port of Kantalahti on August 22. It has 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate as cargo. The substance in question is used in fertilizers and in the manufacture of explosives.
A ship in the headlines flagstone for the first time when stopping for repairs in Tromsø, Norway in early September. The Norwegian authorities ordered the ship to leave the port because of its cargo.
The ammonium nitrate explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020 killed 218 people and caused extensive damage. Ruby carries about seven times the amount of ammonium nitrate compared to the Beirut explosion.
For example, the Swedish magazine Expressen called platform into a “floating bomb”.
However, ammonium nitrate requires heat or an open flame to explode. The Norwegian Maritime Authority is repeatedly toldthat Ruby does not pose a particular hazard and is approved to carry ammonium nitrate.
Chemicals are transported daily on the world’s seas without any problems.
Why is Ruby aiming for Lithuania?
According to the shipping company that owns the ship, Ruby was damaged when it ran aground while leaving Russia.
Ruby still continued along the coast of the Arctic Ocean, but stopped due to stormy weather in Tromsø, Norway, at the turn of September-August.
Ruby was at anchor outside Tromsø for a week and came into port for repairs. When the Tromsø police found out about the ship’s cargo, they ordered the ship to leave the port for safety reasons.
Norwegian authorities found the platform while checking it for several faults. The ship had damage to, among other things, the hull, rudder and propellers.
After leaving Tromsø, the ship was again stationed near the city for a week before heading south again. On the way to its current stop, it also stayed two days off the island of Andøya.
Andøya’s stop has awakened attentionbecause the island has a base of the Norwegian Air Force and a rocket test center. However, according to HS’s information, the ship’s berth is in public use.
After leaving the coast of Norway, the ship has headed to Klaipėda, Lithuania for repairs. Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė there is however announced that the vessel will not be allowed to enter Lithuania with ammonium nitrate cargo.
Why did the ship go to Russia?
MV Ruby’s movements before arriving in Russia do not seem out of the ordinary. The Syrian-owned ship has been moving between Asian ports for most of 2023.
The ship left Singapore in May this year and arrived in Liverpool, UK at the beginning of July. From Liverpool, Ruby headed to Antwerp, Belgium, from where it continued to Kantalahti.
The information appears from the Global Fishing Watch service, which follows maritime traffic.
According to the Danish Danwatch, the ship was originally supposed to head from Russia to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Why didn’t the ship repair itself in Russia?
The ship seems to have made it to Tromsø without any problems, and it is possible that the stormy weather has worsened the ship’s damage. Russian ports bureaucracy also causes significant costs for freight companies.
What happens now?
Ruby has been in place off the coast of Norway since Friday. It has also been accompanied by a towing vessel. The ship’s owners are commanded for it to stay in place.
Currently, the ship is waiting for information on where it can unload its cargo in order to get to Klaipėda for repairs. Until then, the ship seems to remain in place west of the Denmark Straits.
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