News / Damaged bulker Ruby can finally unload volatile cargo, at UK's Gt Yarmouth port

Photo: VesselFinder

Malta-flagged MV Ruby, the crippled bulk carrier with 20,000 tonnes of Russian ammonium nitrate aboard, has been granted refuge at the UK port of Great Yarmouth, after a long and fraught time at sea.

The distressed vessel has been turned away by various ports and the safe haven in the UK avoids a potentially perilous onward journey through the Strait of Gibraltar and Mediterranean.

Not long after leaving the Russian port of Kandalaksha, Ruby was caught in a storm which grounded it, damaging its hull and propeller. Had the vessel sunk,  ammonium nitrate could have leaked, causing algal blooms which would choke marine life, potentially causing a major ecological disaster.

And if the volatile cargo had ignited, it could explode with a blast seven times that of the blast that levelled the port of Beirut in 2020.

Mindful of this risk, several port states turned the vessel away rather than provide refuge. And although Norway’s port of Tromso conducted temporary repairs, Ruby was not permitted to unload its cargo there, or in Sweden and Denmark, which denied it access Baltic ports.

Now accompanied by Maltese tug Amber II, the latest plan involved a trip to Malta, the home of its flag, where it could be offloaded and repaired, and it moored some way off the Thames Estuary to be refuelled, where it has remained for over a month.

Over the weekend, the decision was made to bring the vessel into Great Yarmouth to offload its cargo and repair, under the oversight of classification society DNV.

“Aligned to the UK Department for Transport’s approval of MV Ruby entering UK waters, Peel Ports Group will take the responsibility of accommodating the vessel in a suitable berth under the strictest of safety measures,” said Richard Goffin, port director for Great Yarmouth.

“The port has the capability to handle hazardous materials… Our team is well-versed in implementing rigorous safety protocols and we strictly adhere to all UK safety regulations and international maritime standards.

“Our role is to ensure that MV Ruby is able to safely discharge and continue with its onward journey.”