The Ruby, a Malta-flagged Russian-linked cargo ship, currently floats off Norway's northeast coast, casting a long shadow over the region's security and environmental landscape. Laden with a staggering 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate—a substance infamous for its role in catastrophic explosions—the ship represents an alarming threat due to its proximity to key military and civilian installations. The Ruby has been broadcasting "not under command" on its Automatic Identification System (AIS), meaning that it is effectively adrift and uncontrollable. Russia has officially claimed to have lost control of the vessel, further heightening tensions.
A Ship with a Dangerous Cargo
Ammonium nitrate, the Ruby's cargo, is widely used in agriculture as a fertilizer and in industry as an ingredient for explosives. Under stable conditions, the chemical is relatively safe. However, when subjected to extreme heat, shock, or contamination, it becomes highly volatile. The scale of the risk cannot be understated: 20,000 tons is more than seven times the quantity of ammonium nitrate that detonated in the tragic Beirut explosion of 2020, an event that left large portions of the Lebanese capital in ruins. Experts have noted that a similar explosion from the Ruby could cause devastation comparable to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, capable of flattening vast areas and causing widespread loss of life.
Long story at the link.
Over here is an article on it, which includes this video of what 2750 tons of AN did in Beirut.
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