The controversy over a damaged bulker carrying a potentially explosive cargo continues to create a media storm after a UK council said the ship had dumped some of the ammonium nitrate in the North Sea.
The saga of the 37,000-dwt open-hatch Ruby (built 2012) appeared to be over after the English port of Great Yarmouth finally allowed the ship to dock after months of seeking a terminal to offload its 22,000 of cargo.
The Ruby entered the anchorage at the end of October for a ship-to-ship transfer.
But it left again at the weekend, with ship tracking data showing it circling in the North Sea.
Norfolk County Council claimed the bulker had discharged some contaminated fertiliser at sea.
The Great Yarmouth Mercury newspaper said it appeared this took place about 12 nautical miles (about 22 km) off the coast.
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MAC) confirmed a “small quantity” of “contaminated” ammonium nitrate was found on the vessel and had been “successfully removed”.
The vessel has now headed back into the port.
“A decision was reached between the ship owner and port operator to allow the vessel to return to Great Yarmouth port to continue transferring its remaining safe cargo," the MCA added.
A spokesman for the Peel Ports terminal told the Great Yarmouth Mercury: “The Ruby left port briefly for operational reasons but has since returned and the transshipment of cargo to another vessel is ongoing.”
Not a persistent chemical
A UK government spokesman told the BBC: “Ammonium nitrate is not a persistent chemical, and with sufficient dilution, it will dissipate without leaving a trace.”
A representative of the ship’s manager, Dubai-based Serenity Ship Management, said the company would not be adding anything to the MCA statement.
The 37,000-dwt Zimrida (built 2008), also controlled by Serenity, has been taking cargo from the vessel.
The Ruby had been seeking a port of refuge since suffering damage in a grounding off Norway in August, after leaving Russia.
The Malta-flagged ship was turned away by Norway, Sweden, Lithuania and its own flag state as it tried to find a repair yard.
“The vessel’s cargo poses no risk to the surrounding area in its present state,” the manager has said.
Serenity and the owner, Ruby Enterprise, based in Malta, have blamed media coverage for complicating what should have been a routine cargo transfer.
The bulker was cleared by DNV and by the Maltese flag state in Tromso, Norway, on 5 September following temporary repairs and an assessment that determined the ship’s strength and stability were sufficient to head for permanent repairs on the condition of tug assistance throughout, Serenity explained.
A much smaller quantity of ammonium nitrate caused the devastating blast in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, that killed at least 218 people in 2020.
