Russian ship carrying 20,000 tonnes of explosives nicknamed the ‘floating bomb’ is allowed to dock at UK port after weeks moored off the coast

A Russian cargo ship packed with 20,000 tonnes of explosive material has been allowed to dock at a British port after weeks moored off the coast. 

The vessel, called Ruby but nicknamed the ‘floating bomb’ for its deadly cargo, is carrying seven times the amount of explosives that devastated Beirut in 2020. 

It was anchored off the coast of Margate, Kent, for weeks amid fears it was too deadly to pass through the busy Channel crossing. 

The vessel, which had previously been turned away from ports in several other countries, is now moored near Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, according to the global ship tracking website Marine Traffic.

It is alongside a facility in Gorleston-on-Sea, with the ship now based just a few hundred metres away from a housing estate, primary school and sixth form college. 

Pictured is the Russian ‘floating bomb’ cargo ship which is currently docked near Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk 

Response vehicles and warning signs have been pictured today close to where the ship is moored

Pictured is the ship’s current location, according to the global ship tracking website Marine Traffic, after travelling north from near Margate, in Kent.

Ruby was first spotted near Kent at the end of September after it had to depart from the Norwegian port of Tromso on September 4 due to concerns over its cargo, just three days after it docked there to seek shelter from a storm.

The Malta-flagged cargo ship had been stocked with explosive cargo from a port in Kandalaksha in northern Russia on August 22, before heading towards Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

It is understood that the Ruby is loaded with 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which is seven times more than the 2,750 tonnes which exploded in the Port of Beirut in Lebanon, killing 218 people, in 2020.

But Sir Roger Gale, MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich, said the cargo was safe following his meeting with shipping minister, Mike Kane earlier this month.

‘I am advised that the cargo, originally destined for Africa, of class 2 ammonium nitrate is safe,’ he wrote on X.

‘Due to damage to the ship which has not rendered the vessel unseaworthy but requires repair [and] negotiations are ongoing to unload the cargo.’

He also added: ‘[I] am led to believe that the legal situation is that because the ship itself is neither Russian owned nor flagged no international law has been broken or sanctions breached.’

The Ruby’s propeller, hull, and rudder had been damaged, but following several days authorities insisted the ship leave as fears grew among locals, Newsweek reports.

The ship, nicknamed the Ruby (pictured above), is carrying seven times the amount of explosives that devastated Beirut in 2020 has docked near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk

The ship is now docked at a facility just north of Gorleston-on-Sea and is a few hundred metres from residential housing, a sixth form college and primary school 

(Pictured: The devastation in Lebanon in 2020) The Ruby has seven times more of ammonium nitrate than found in this disaster, which killed 218 people

Residents became increasingly concerned as the ship was anchored near a university campus, a hospital, as well as hundreds of homes.

According to Newsweek, authorities did not outright say the ship would erupt however they did say it was ‘not desirable’ for the vessel to be so close to the Norwegian city.

According to Marine Traffic, the Ruby left Norway and slowly made its way towards the country’s north – near the municipality of Andoy.

Ruby’s cargo, ammonium nitrate, is a common ingredient used in fertilizer. 

When stored correctly, the compound is relatively safe. However, if contained in a large pile incorrectly, it can be potentially explosive. 

Professor Geoffrey Maitland, a chemical engineering expert at Imperial College London said: ‘If kept isolated and unconfined, it is quite stable… However, if it comes into contact with an intense source of heat and ignition, such as a detonator or an intense fire for some time, and is present as a large bulk mass and in a confined space, such as a warehouse, then it can explode.’