MV Ruby transfers load to second ship before leaving Yarmouth

The MV Ruby departed on Sunday morning, December 1, after offloading nearly 20,000 tonnes of the fertiliser onto the MV Zimrida, which remains moored at the town's outer harbour. 

The Maltese-registered MV Ruby docked at the port in October, having been turned away by several countries due to fears surrounding its cargo.

The ship’s ammonium nitrate load exceeded seven times the amount involved in the devastating 2020 Beirut explosion which killed 218 people and injured a further 7,000.

During its stay in Great Yarmouth’s outer harbour, the vessel caused further controversy by dumping 300 tonnes of contaminated fertiliser into the North Sea.

The spill, located 20 miles offshore, consisted of material tainted by fuel oil and seawater. 

The MV Ruby had set sail from Kandalaksha in northern Russia in July, en route to Africa, but was diverted after damaging its hull and propeller.

Its arrival at Great Yarmouth raised widespread concerns about safety. 

Council leaders said it was "unacceptable" and that the ship "should never have come in the first place".

At the time, Richard Goffin, port director of the Port of Great Yarmouth, said the fertiliser was "a normal cargo that is handled in bulk at ports up and down the country every single day". 

According to marine tracking data, the MV Ruby is now heading for Tyne Port, with an estimated arrival on Monday evening.

The position of the MV Zimrida at Great Yarmouth outer harbour on Monday, December 2. (Image: Marine Traffic) Meanwhile, the MV Zimrida, now carrying the cargo, sails under the flag of Barbados, and arrived at the Great Yarmouth port on October 29 from Algeria. 

Despite the transfer, questions remain about the final destination and management of the fertiliser.

Stargate Ship Management, which operates the MV Zimrida, has not yet responded to a query on the movements planned for the vessel.