Ammonium Nitrate Laden Bulker Turns Toward Malta Searching for Port

 

The cargo ship loaded with 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate departed the Norwegian coast turning south on Monday afternoon as it continues to search for a port to offload its cargo and receive repairs. Swedish authorities confirmed that the manager told it that the Ruby was now heading toward Malta, but late on Monday Maltese officials said that like other countries it will not permit the ship to enter its territory until it unloads the dangerous cargo.

Ruby’s AIS signal was changed to Malta and the vessel got underway heading into the North Sea with the anchor handler Amber II still alongside. The Swedish Transport Agency confirmed the news informing the Swedish Coast Guard and saying that it was the agency’s understanding that the vessel was underway as of 1400 local time and bound for Malta. The Swedes are continuing to monitor the ship’s movements.

Lithuania also confirmed that it had asked the vessel to stop displaying Klaipeda as its destination as the country maintained its position that the ship would not be permitted into port with its cargo. Despite the assurances from officials in Sweden and Denmark that the cargo is safely loaded and poses minimal danger currently, the reports are the Scandinavian countries each refused the offloading of the cargo in their ports. 

Officials at the Western Shipyard in Lithuania are saying that they expect there will be a new tender for repair to the Ruby once the ship finds a port to accept the cargo. Norway in a Port State inspection confirmed the hull of the ship is damaged and requires repairs possibly from a grounding as it was departing Russia in August after loading the cargo. Media reports are saying the rudder and propeller are also damaged.

The ship is being reported as having restricted maneuverability and for a period of time last week showed it was “not under command” on its AIS signal. This prompted Denmark to impose restrictions on the ship’s transit into the Baltic, including requiring a pilot to be aboard an the tug escort. Requests for a pilot for the weekend were later withdrawn as the Swedes reported they believed the ship was still searching for a port.

The search for a resolution has been going on for nearly a month. The ship departed the Russian port of Kandalaksha on August 22 and first sought refuge in Norway’s sheltered waters in late August. It was ordered out of port and into a remote area when word of the nature of the cargo began to spread. The ship is reported to have seven times the amount of material that caused the devastating explosion in Beirut in 2020. Reports indicate the ship was bound for the Canary Islands.

Malta is the vessel's flag state and has been involved in the discussions over how to handle the repairs and the cargo. The ship is being managed from the UAE.