Ship carrying 20,000 tons of explosives from Russia docked at NATO port

A ship carrying 20,000 tons of potentially dangerous cargo from Russia docked at a port in Norway this week, seeking shelter from a storm.

A cargo ship flying the flag of Malta, Rubysailed from Russia’s northern port of Kandalaksha on August 22. The ship was loaded with ammonium nitrate, a substance used in fertilizers and explosives, when it docked at the port of Tromsø, which is near the university campus and university hospital, the Norwegian publication Barents Observer it was announced on Tuesday.

The bulk carrier was ordered to leave the port on Tuesday and move further to undergo repairs, police said.

Ammonium nitrate has been responsible for a number of incidents, including the 2020 Beirut explosion, in which a large quantity of the substance stored at the port in Beirut, Lebanon, exploded, killing at least 218 people. In 2015, 173 people died and hundreds more were injured in a series of ammonium nitrate explosions in Tianjin, northern China.

Russia is one of the world’s largest exporters of ammonium nitrate and accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s annual ammonium nitrate production of 20 million tonnes, according to financial services firm S&P Global.

When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country temporarily banned ammonium nitrate exports to support domestic farmers as fertilizer prices rose globally.

“In the domestic market, demand for ammonium nitrate has increased both from agricultural producers and industrial enterprises,” the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reported at the time.

“Repairs need to be carried out that should not be done near the city of Tromsø. The police are working with the Norwegian maritime authorities and many other entities to resolve the situation in the best possible way,” Tromsø police said in a statement on Tuesday evening, adding that the vessel had suffered hull damage after running aground.

Shipping documentation shows the vessel is carrying ammonium nitrate, the statement said.

“Under normal conditions of transport and storage, ammonium nitrate is a stable chemical compound. At the same time, under certain conditions and under the influence of external factors, such as fire, it can be explosive.

“The Norwegian Coast Guard Agency provides advice to the police regarding the ship RubyOur maritime traffic centre in Vardø and the pilot service will assist with the movement of the vessel until repairs are carried out.

The police in a statement published on Wednesday morning said the vessel would be moved to the village of Vannvåg within a few hours.

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