A Malta-flagged cargo ship has set sail from Norway with a hefty load of 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, a material known for its explosive potential, for much-needed repairs.
The Ruby loaded its cargo on August 22 at Kandalaksha, a northern Russian port, and docked in Tromsø, Norway, to escape a storm, as reported by the Norwegian outlet The Barents Observer.
Originally bound for Las Palmas in the Atlantic, the ship made a stop in Norway after securing military clearance. The Ruby had suffered damage to its rudder, hull, and propeller.
Tromsø police expressed that it was “not desirable” for the ship to undergo repairs near the city.
The vessel departed the NATO port early Wednesday morning, escorted by two tugboats, and was expected to reach Vannøya by 5 a.m.
Ammonium nitrate, widely used in fertilizers and explosives, has been linked to major disasters, including the devastating Beirut explosion in 2020 that killed at least 218 people and the series of blasts in Tianjin, China, in 2015, which resulted in 173 fatalities.
Russia is a major supplier of ammonium nitrate, producing about two-thirds of the global annual output of 20 million metric tons, according to financial services firm S&P Global.
Following the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country temporarily halted exports to prioritize domestic agriculture amid rising fertilizer prices.
The Ministry of Agriculture noted a surge in domestic demand for ammonium nitrate from agricultural and industrial sectors.
While Tromsø police reassured that ammonium nitrate is stable under normal conditions, they cautioned that it can become explosive under specific circumstances, such as exposure to fire.
It’s noteworthy that the Ruby carries seven times more ammonium nitrate than the quantity that caused the Beirut explosion. If repairs are needed at any local dock, there may be a requirement to temporarily offload the cargo, according to the report.