Troubled ship had already sailed 1600 NM before seeking emergency port

Last week, it was reported that a vessel carrying a potentially explosive cargo of 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, the dry bulk carrier Ruby (IMO: 9626390), sailing under the Maltese flag, sought emergency port in Tromsø (LOCODE: NOTOS), Norway. The vessel has now applied to conduct repairs at the port of Klaipėda (LOCODE: LTKLJ), Lithuania's only major port.

Ruby sought emergency port in Tromsø to escape storms and severe weather after sustaining damage during its voyage from Kandalaksha (LOCODE: RUKAN), Russia. Incident reports indicate that the ship had already sailed 900 nautical miles (1,600 km) with the damage, which occurred when it ran aground near soon after departing Kandalaksha.

Additionally, during a port state control inspection of Ruby, it was revealed that two of the 19 crew members had been on board for over 11 months. This included the second engineer and Able Seaman 4 (A/B 4). In both cases, the Seafarer's Employment Agreement (SEA), which governs the contract between the shipping company and its seafarers, had expired.

Once the hazardous nature of the cargo became known and the extent of the ship's damages had been assessed, Ruby was ordered to leave Tromsø port. The ship is currently still located in Norwegian waters, being escorted by the tug Amber II in case assistance is needed.

Ruby has applied to offload its cargo while carrying out necessary repairs in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The local port authority is currently reviewing the application.