European ports refuse to accept a damaged Russian vessel with an explosive cargo

Fears are growing due to the fact that there are 20 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate on board the Russian vessel.

Northern European countries refuse to accept the cargo vessel “Ruby”, which left the Murmansk region of Russia, in their ports. Tagesschau writes about it.

The ship “Ruby” was loaded on August 22 with explosive ammonium nitrate, which is used in the production of fertilizers. However, shortly after leaving, it ran aground, causing damage to the hull and propeller, as well as taking on water. The ship initially continued on its way, but when it reached Norway, local authorities refused it access to the port of Tromsø due to the danger of an explosion.

Fears are growing as the “Ruby” is carrying 20,000 tonnes of saltpetre, far more than the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 220 people.

Ruby is currently in the south of Norway and is on its way to Lithuania accompanied by a tug. However, the Lithuanian authorities have already announced that the ship will not be allowed to enter any of the Lithuanian ports.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Coast Guard said the Ruby would not be able to pass through Öresund, the narrow strait that leads to the Baltic Sea, because of its heavy draft. The navies of Norway, Sweden and Denmark continue negotiations on further actions with the damaged vessel.

We will remind you that on August 4, 2020, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been stored on a ship without proper safety measures for six years, exploded in the port of Beirut. According to the mass media, the ship from which the saltpeter was removed belonged to a citizen of the Russian Federation.

As a result of the explosion, more than 300,000 residents of Beirut were left homeless, and the number of dead exceeded 220 people.

As USM wrote, earlier in Murmansk, the fishing vessel “Princess of the Arctic” caught fire.