The cargo ship MV Ruby has been denied access to several ports in Europe that do not want the dangerous cargo near them.
Now it has docked in a port in East England.
– It is not good to dump all that rubbish in Great Yarmouth. I wish it wasn’t here, said Shari Wharton who lives in the area where the ship docked.
Concerns surrounding the cargo ship MV Ruby arose after the hull was damaged in connection with loading in a port on Russia’s Kola Peninsula.
The reason for the concern is that the ship is loaded with 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate – a dangerous chemical that was, among other things, behind the well-known mega-explosion in the port of Beirut in Lebanon in 2020. On board the MV Ruby there is roughly seven times more ammonium nitrate than what was in the port of Beirut before the explosion.
After causing concern in several countries and being denied access to several ports, the MV Ruby has now docked in a port near the town of Great Yarmouth in the county of Norfolk in eastern England – just a few hundred meters from a residential area, a preschool and a secondary school, writes Daily Mail.
“Wish it wasn’t here”
While the MV Ruby is moored in a British port, the vessel is to be emptied of its cargo so that it can be repaired. The crew on board the ship has assured that they docked under the highest possible security.
Even so, several people in the area have expressed their concern since the “terror ship” arrived in the city.
– It is not good to dump all that rubbish in Great Yarmouth. I wish it wasn’t here, says Shari Wharton.
“Should not be exposed to this”
She remembers how it felt in February 2023 when an undetonated German bomb from World War II was found at a construction site. The bomb detonated as it was about to be disarmed, creating a loud bang.
– My house was damaged when the bomb went off. Now we have to put up with this ship that no one else wants.
28-year-old Mia Atkinson and her children usually visit a beach located next to the harbor.
– I understand that this is an industrial area and that some areas use chemicals, but this amount is ridiculous. There are lots of people vacationing here on the beach when the weather is nice and they shouldn’t be exposed to this.