Damaged Russian ship with explosive cargo heads to Malta amid safety fears
The damaged cargo ship Ruby, associated with Russia, is heading to the port in Valletta, Malta. The vessel is carrying 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the substance that exploded in the Beirut port in 2020. Several ports in different countries previously refused entry to the ship.
On Tuesday, MV Ruby was in the North Sea and was heading towards the English Channel. The maritime administrations of Denmark and Sweden, which previously convened crisis teams regarding the vessel's plans to enter the Baltic Sea, have halted preparations.
Initially, the vessel was supposed to pass through the Danish straits to the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania, but the local authorities did not grant permission due to safety concerns. Other ports, including Gothenburg in Sweden, also refused entry to the ship.
According to the Danish newspaper "Information" and the investigative collective Danwatch, the Ruby ship is controlled by a Lebanon-based company owned by Syrians, but it carries cargo from Russia. It is registered in Malta.
Heading to the port of Las Palmas in Mallorca, the vessel set off from the Russian port of Kandalaksha in the Murmansk region but ran aground. Nevertheless, the ship managed to travel 1,600 kilometres without damage and reached Tromsø in northern Norway, where it was denied further stay.
Expert: The ship was anchored near a NATO base
An inspection revealed six defects, including hull cracks and damage to the propeller and rudder. Irregularities in the crew's sailing licences were also found. The ship must use a tugboat for assistance.
According to Jacob Kaarsbo, an analyst at the Danish institute Think Tank Europe, cited by "Information" and Danwatch, the ship was anchored for several days near the strategically important NATO airbase in Andøya. He believes the ship's connections with Syria and Russia may indicate it is involved in Russia's hybrid warfare. It is important for allies to unite to determine a strategy so that neither Denmark nor Norway has to deal with this problem alone, emphasised Kaarsbo.
