Ammonium Nitrate Laden Bulker Causes Controversy Dumping Contaminated Cargo

The Malta-flagged cargo ship Ruby with its cargo of 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is again being drawn into a controversy weeks after the vessel found a safe refuge at Great Yarmouth in the UK. Local elected officials complained after the ship left port briefly over the weekend and returned on Monday, November 18, to continue offloading and transshipping the cargo.

The political leaders called for the government not to permit the ship to return to port citing the danger from the cargo which is seven times as much as the ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion in Beirut in August 2020. They blamed the Secretary of State while saying the ship should never have been permitted into Great Yarmouth in the first place.

Media reports surfaced that a portion of the cargo had been found to be contaminated making it less stable and potentially more dangerous. A spokesperson for Peel Ports which operates the facility would only say the ship briefly went to sea for “operational reasons.” 

The media reports cited the fact the Ruby went approximately 11 or 12 nautical miles offshore and according to the AIS signal, was circling. The reports said the ship which departed Saturday, November 16, and returned Monday, November 18, dumped a portion of its cargo at sea.

The Maritime Coastguard Agency confirmed in a statement to the British press that “a small quantity of contaminated cargo was found,” and without providing details said, “This has now been successfully removed.” They said that inspectors from the government agency Health & Safety Executive would continue to monitor the vessel and the offloading process.

Environmentalists were quick to highlight the toxic nature of ammonium nitrate when it is exposed to seawater. They said it could accelerate algae growth and is detrimental to fish.

The Department for Transport responded to the criticisms saying that the operation was carried out with advice from the Maritime Coastguard Agency and HSE and that they had been assured that the vessel continues to meet safety standards. They called the decision to dock the bulker a “commercial decision” while highlighting there was no legal basis to refuse entry.

The plan agreed to in late October called for the Ruby to be berthed in the outer harbor at Great Yarmouth. She is to offload the cargo which is being transferred to another bulker also managed by Serenity Shipping of the UAE. The Barbados-registered bulker Zimrida (37,296 dwt) arrived in Great Yarmouth on October 29.

Some reports indicate a portion of the cargo has already been transferred between the ships but there is no indication how long the operation will require. There was speculation that the contaminated cargo had slowed the process.

The story began attracting international attention when Norwegian authorities at the beginning of September ordered the ship to leave Tromsø due to the explosive potential of the cargo. The managers ultimately complained that the media attention and misrepresentations of the cargo were complicating what should have been an ordinary transfer of the cargo. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Lithuania placed restrictions on the ship and rejected its entry into port. Its class society DNV and port state Malta agreed that the ship due to damage to the hull, rudder, and propeller, had restrictions and required a tug escort until repairs were completed.