A vessel with explosive saltpetre from the Russian Federation crossed the English Channel

A Maltese vessel with an explosive cargo from Russia crossed the English Channel. Before that, it was refused to be accepted in the ports of Europe.

The Maltese cargo ship MV “Ruby”, which is carrying 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate from Russia, crossed the English Channel and approached the British shores. BFMTV writes about it.

Previously, the “Ruby” was at the center of international concern due to technical damage the vessel sustained while leaving the port of Kandalaksha in the Murmansk region. In view of this, as well as the presence of dangerous cargo on board, the ship could not be accepted by European ports for several weeks.

Ammonium nitrate carried on “Ruby” can pose a serious threat to host ports. In particular, a similar substance caused a devastating explosion in the Lebanese port of Beirut in 2020. At the same time, the cargo on the ship is about seven times larger than the one that exploded in Beirut.

“Ruby” has already been compared to a “floating bomb”, although some experts believe that the risks are exaggerated.

France’s maritime prefecture, which is responsible for the English Channel, confirmed it was closely monitoring the situation. The representative of the prefecture, Etienne Bagjot, said that France is in contact with the British colleagues and the owner of the vessel for possible operational intervention if necessary. At the same time, there are no plans to stop “Ruby” in French ports.

The Maltese authorities, where the vessel headed the day before, have already warned that they will not allow the “MV Ruby” to dock with such a dangerous cargo.