A cargo ship loaded with potentially explosive ammonium nitrate is floating in the English Channel, off the coast of France. The Maltese-registered Ruby is carrying 20,000 tonnes of the chemical substance, which it acquired from Russia in August.
When incorrectly stored and subjected to stressors (such as heat and pressure), it can become unstable and explode. The 183-meter-long ship has enough ammonium nitrate to potentially trigger an explosion with the power of an “atomic bomb.”
According to the website Marine Traffic, French police are closely monitoring Ruby’s movements as it attempts to make its way to Malta, where it is slated to arrive on October 11.
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“We are in regular contact with the shipowner who is cooperating. In fact, they have dispatched a tugboat to provide assistance in the anchorage area where it currently is,” Etienne Baggio, spokesperson for the maritime said of the English Channel.
The consequences of inappropriate ammonium nitrate storage were starkly demonstrated in Beirut four years ago.
2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were stored in storage after being captured from a Russian-owned ship, the MV Rhosus, in 2013. Seven years later, a catastrophic explosion swept through Beirut’s harbour, killing 235 and injuring more than 6,000.
Ammonium nitrate is mostly utilized in agricultural fertiliser production, but it is also employed in mining explosives. The Ruby got into problems after getting trapped in a strong storm at sea while on its way to Malta.
The Ruby then proceeded to Lithuania, but was denied access to the port of Vilnius, eventually ending up in the English Channel. Officials in Malta have informed the ship’s owners that they must remove the ammonium nitrate before landing there.
Authorities said, “The ship will only be authorised to dock in Malta if it empties its cargo, otherwise it will not be authorised to enter our territorial waters.”
