Mystery as Cargo Ship Laden with Ammonium Nitrate is Now Being Towed

The cargo ship which caused concerns in Norway when it was discovered to be carrying seven times the amount of ammonium nitrate that caused the devastating explosion in Beirut in 2020 is again underway creating new mysteries. Officials in Lithuania, which the ship reports as its destination, continue to say they will not accept the ship unless it first unloads its cargo.

The Ruby (37,000 dwt) registered in Malta is reportedly owned by interests in Syria but operating under a time charter to a company based in the UAE. The ship loaded 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate in Russia in August and was reporting a destination of the Canary Islands. 

The situation became more confused late on Thursday, when the ship's AIS signal switched to "Not Under Command," and indicated that the ship was drifting. An anchor handling tug appears to be alongside the vessel towing it toward into the Baltic saying it is bound for Lithuania.

The Ruby originally entered Norwegian waters at the end of August with the initial reports it was seeking shelter from an Arctic storm and then was permitted to dock in Tromsø, Norway. Norwegian officials learning that the vessel was damaged in the storm conducted a Port State Inspection on September 3 citing the ship with six deficiencies and detaining the ship for a week. Tromsø ordered the ship out of the city center, and it anchored in a remote part of Norway. 

Among the issues identified during the inspection was a crack in the vessel’s hull. The seafarers' employment agreement is also listed as being expired and MARPOL concerns were raised over the quality of fuel oil. Media reports had said the rudder and propeller were also damaged.

A shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania won a tender to make the repairs but the Lithuanian government when learning of the cargo said the ship would not be permitted to enter the port. The proposed solution was to offload the ammonium nitrate cargo and the owners of the shipyard said they could provide storage for the cargo.

The vessel’s AIS signal was showing that it was now underway having transited to the southern coast of Norway. The signal shows the vessel is due to arrive in Klaipeda on September 22. This is raising concern from multiple authorities and a mystery about the ship’s intentions.

Danish officials have said that the ship could begin transiting the Great Belt, the strait leading into the Baltic, this weekend, although they are noting no applications has been made for a pilot. The shadow tanker fleet servicing the Russian oil industry has also been known to make the transit without the aid of pilots.

Lithuanian media is also reporting that port officials said they have not received an application for the vessel to enter their port. They reiterated the government stance that the ship would not be permitted into Klaipeda without offloading the cargo. Further, Lithuania will require a declaration that the vessel has no association with “government agencies of unfriendly countries.”

Officials at the Western Shipyard in Lithuania speculate the ship is looking for a port willing to accept the cargo so that it can unload. The ship’s owners and operators have not replied to inquiries from the media. Norway previously said the authorities in Malta were managing the situation with DNV as the vessel’s class society, and the insurers.