Ammonium Nitrate Cargo Arrives in Africa Ending Panic Over “Bomb Ship"

A cargo of nearly 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that drew worldwide attention and created a hysteria over the “bomb ship” quietly arrived in Africa at the beginning of the week. The cargo which was seven times the amount that exploded in 2020 devastating sections of Beirut, Lebanon, became the subject of numerous media reports as the Malta-flagged cargo ship Ruby was repeatedly denied a port of refuge.

The Barbados-flagged cargo ship Zimrida (37,296 dwt) reflects on its AIS signal that it dropped anchor on Monday, December 30, in the Abidjan anchorage in Cote d’Ivoire. The majority of the cargo, which was in bags, was transferred from the Ruby to the replacement vessel in the port of Great Yarmouth in the UK. The Zimrida departed on December 16 and made a provisioning stop in the Canary Islands.

The cargo caused a panic first in Tromsø, Norway after the ship Ruby (37,000 dwt) was permitted to dock in the center of the city after suffering damage during a storm after departing Russia. Norwegian authorities after learning of the cargo ordered the vessel moved to a remote offshore location, which drew the first attention of the media at the beginning of September.

Malta as the vessel’s flag state and DNV as the ship’s class society determined the Ruby while damaged remained seaworthy. It however required immediate repairs due to reports of damage to the hull, propeller, and rudder.

A shipyard in Lithuania won the assignment for the repairs, but the local authorities said the ship would not be permitted to enter the port until the cargo had been offloaded. Sweden and Denmark also placed restrictions on the ship’s movement into the Baltic causing the Ruby to instead divert to an anchorage off England.

Great Yarmouth finally accepted the vessel at the end of October so that the cargo could be transferred to a replacement ship. Even then it caused political controversy and the newspaper the Great Yarmouth Mercury reports at one point local officials contemplated evacuating the city when a portion of the cargo was found to be contaminated.

It was highlighted that the ammonium nitrate was stable and properly packed and stored but the dangers increase when it becomes contaminated. The newspaper says the ship’s fuel had leaked contaminating approximately 300 tonnes. In a carefully planned exercise, accompanied by several tugs, the Ruby put out into the North Sea and dumped the contaminated fertilizer overboard setting out a new controversy and complaints of pollution from environmentalists.

The cargo which was labeled in media reports as a Russian bomb had been destined for Brazil the shipping company’s representatives reported. The cargo instead ended its journey in Africa while the Ruby quietly departed Great Yarmouth on December 5. She was moved to the port of Tyne in England where she remains under repair.