Damaged bulker Ruby headed for UK port

A statement issued by the ship’s managers Dubai-based Serenity Ship Management DMCC has revealed at least some details relating to remedial steps to be taken to repair the damaged bulk carrier, Ruby.

The ship, damaged in a northern storm, has been at anchor off the UK coast for more than a month. Her owners and managers have been seeking a port authority and/or a repair yard at which to offload her cargo and undertake repairs.

Bringing to an end a lengthy period of concern over the fate of the Ruby Liverpool-based Peel Ports Group has agreed to allow the 37,039 dwt bulker into the port of Great Yarmouth to carry out transhipment of her 20,000-tonne cargo of ammonium nitrate which is classed as a hazardous bulk cargo.

The Ruby was scheduled to arrive in Great Yarmouth in the early hours of Monday morning, UK time. The ship was then due to unload the ‘packages of ammonium nitrate’ while docked alongside.

In a statement issued by Peel Ports Richard Goffin, Port Director for Great Yarmouth said, “Aligned to the UK Government and The Department for Transport’s approval of the MV Ruby entering UK waters, Peel Ports Group will take the responsibility of accommodating the vessel in a suitable berth under the strictest of safety measures.

At the time of publishing (around 2am local time in the UK) the Ruby appeared to be around 10 miles from the Port of Great Yarmouth and had slowed to 1.5 knots according to data from MarineTraffic.

Related:Options for Ruby owners running out

“The Port of Great Yarmouth has the capability to handle hazardous materials and the discharge and transhipment of such materials and cargo is common practice across our port group,” said Goffin.

“Our team is well-versed in implementing rigorous safety protocols and we strictly adhere to all UK safety regulations and international maritime standards.”

The cargo is to be transferred to another unnamed vessel before both ships depart.

According to the statement from the owners and managers, the Ruby will then proceed to an unnamed drydock where she will undergo the necessary repairs as stipulated by classification society, DNV.  

Serenity Ship Management said: “The owners and managers of the Ruby would like to take this opportunity to thank the UK authorities for their support throughout the vessels stay in UK territorial waters, while we express gratitude to Peel Ports Group for accommodating our request to complete a transhipment at Great Yarmouth.”

The Ruby originally took the hazardous-classed cargo on board at the Russian port of Kandalaksha but after setting sail on August 22, she ran into severe storms and suffered damage to her hull, propeller and rudder in a grounding. She limped into Tromsø in northern Norway where the damage was assessed in a Port State Control inspection. She then underwent ‘temporary repairs’.

Related:Confusion surrounds fate of stricken bulker Ruby off UK coast

However, the vessel was subsequently asked to leave the port by Norwegian authorities and sailed slowly south, accompanied by a tug. Requests to dock for repairs in various ports on the southbound voyage were denied and the ship eventually dropped anchor in British waters during the final week of September.

Since then, the ship’s Malta-based owners and Dubai managers have been working on plans to enable the vessel to unload her cargo and undergo permanent repairs. Now, it appears that they can at least move to the next stage and the ship’s stranded crew have some long-awaited positive news.