A damaged bulker carrying a potentially explosive cargo of ammonium nitrate is on the move again after being rejected by Norway and Lithuania.
AIS data showed the Dubai-controlled 37,000-dwt open-hatch carrier Ruby (built 2012) heading around the southern coast of Norway at 3.5 knots, towards Denmark’s Skagerrak strait, on Friday morning.
Its status is listed as “not under command” and TVP World reported it is under tow.
An anchor-handling tug supply ship is the only vessel near the Ruby. It is more than 1 km ahead, travelling in the same direction.
Both ships are Malta-flagged.
Local reports have said the master has not requested pilot services for navigating the strait.
The bulker, carrying a 20,000-tonne cargo, was rejected by Norway and Lithuania as it sought refuge for repairs after being damaged in a storm en route from Russia.
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.
The Ruby was expelled from Tromso in Norway earlier this month.
A 500-metre safety zone was established around the ship, which was anchored near the country’s largest hospital.
Grounding reported
UK shipbroker Clarksons reports the Ruby grounded on 26 August off the city.
Norwegian inspectors found six faults, including hull cracking, and detained the ship for a week.
It was already known to have sustained damage to its propeller, hull and rudder in a storm.
The master then sought permission to berth in Klaipeda, Lithuania, for repairs.
But Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said the ship would not be allowed to dock.
AIS data is still showing Lithuania as a destination, scheduled for 22 September.
The ship sailed from the Russian city of Kandalaksha on 23 August, bound for the Canary Islands.
Shipping databases list the operator as Dubai’s Serenity Ship Management, which has not responded to requests for comment.
