What is the plan of the management of the freighter “Ruby”, which is lying in the North Sea with around 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate on board and unable to maneuver? And was it possibly sent by Russia to cause damage in European ports? Ammonium nitrate is considered to be the cause of the disaster in the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut in August 2020, in which 200 people lost their lives.
The Danish state-owned company DanPilot told Danish broadcaster DR that the Ruby had no longer requested a pilot. This could indicate that the ship’s plans have changed. The Danish Maritime Administration had only allowed the damaged freighter to pass through Danish waters with a pilot on board.
The ship, which is flying the Maltese flag, is currently in Norwegian waters southwest of the city of Kristiansand and, according to shipping tracking services, has barely moved recently.
Does the ship “Ruby” want to go to Lithuania?
The route is being closely monitored in all countries bordering the North and Baltic Seas. “The Federal Police are continuing to monitor the cargo ship and are in contact with neighboring authorities and international partners,” the responsible Federal Police Directorate in Bad Bramstedt said in response to a request.
The “Ruby” was on its way from the Kola Peninsula in northern Russia to the Canary Islands when it was damaged in a storm. After several weeks in Tromsø in northern Norway, it was expelled from the port there because of its risky cargo. The destination for repairs is now Klaipėda in Lithuania, but the authorities of the Baltic EU state have already refused entry, as have the Swedish ports of Gothenburg and Uddevalla.
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Ammonium nitrate is considered to be the cause of the disaster in the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut in August 2020. Large quantities of the chemical, which is also a main ingredient in fertilizers, had been improperly stored in the port for years. More than 200 people lost their lives.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, experts have warned of a “shadow fleet” of often outdated and poorly maintained ships under the flag of third countries that transport Russian goods through the Baltic and North Seas. Jacob Kaarsbo from the Danish think tank Europa told DR that the “Ruby” was behaving “suspiciously”. He does not rule out that the ship is part of a hybrid war with which Russia wants to test the reaction of the northern European states, said Kaarsbo.
