“A ship with Russian saltpetre is drifting in the North Sea: why five ports have already refused to repair it The dry cargo Ruby with 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate is drifting in the North Sea due to damage to the rudder. Ports refuse repairs due to dangerous cargo, experts compare its explosive force with atomic bombs.”, — write on: unn.ua
The publication notes that it was saltpeter that exploded in the port of Beirut in 2020. Ruby took him on board at the end of August in Kandalaksha (Murman region) and went with him to Spain. In a few days, the ship got into a storm and damaged the rudder. Since then, it has been limited in maneuvers.
Ruby was trying to enter the port of Tromsø in Norway for repairs. But she was refused because of the explosive cargo. Then Klaipėda in Lithuania was chosen as the place of repair. But the local authorities also rejected the application. The Swedish ports of Gothenburg and Uddevalla did the same. The bulk carrier decided to go to Malta. But the port of Valletta also refused to go, saying it had to unload the saltpeter first.
Experts share the fears of the authorities of those countries that refused to repair Ruby. According to English analyst Roland Alford, the cargo on board has the same explosive power as the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, writes Newsweek magazine.
Jacob Kaarsbo of the Danish think tank Europe told the DR channel that Ruby was behaving “suspiciously”. According to him, it is possible that this is part of a hybrid operation of the Russian Federation.