For several days now, the Maltese-flagged dry cargo ship Ruby has been drifting in the North Sea. It is carrying 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, which is used for fertilizer production, UNN reports with reference to Bild.
The publication notes that it was nitrate that exploded in the port of Beirut in 2020. The Ruby took it on board in late August in Kandalaksha (Murmansk region) and was heading to Spain. A few days later, the vessel was caught in a storm and damaged its rudder. Since then, it has been limited in maneuvers.
Ruby tried to call at the port of Tromso in Norway for repairs. But because of the explosive cargo, she was denied entry. Then Klaipeda in Lithuania was chosen as the place for repairs. But the local authorities also rejected the application. The Swedish ports of Gothenburg and Uddevalla did the same. The ship decided to go to Malta. But the port of Valletta also refused to allow the call, saying it had to unload nitrate first.
Experts share the concerns of the authorities of those countries that refused to repair the Ruby. According to the English analyst Roland Alford, the cargo on board has the same explosive power as the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Newsweek magazine writes.
Jacob Kaarsbo of the Danish think tank Europe told DR that Ruby was behaving "suspiciously." According to him, it is possible that this is part of a hybrid operation by Russia.