Minister seeks to allay MV Ruby blast fears over Great Yarmouth fertiliser cargo

A transport minister has sought to reassure people in Great Yarmouth over fears that the ammonium nitrate cargo being held in its port is potentially explosive.

The MV Ruby, a Maltese ship carrying 20,000 tonnes of fertiliser, was damaged in bad weather in the North Sea and is now docked in the harbour of the Norfolk town to have its contents moved to another vessel.

Concerns emerged that ammonium nitrate, while safe on its own, can become explosive if improperly managed and exposed to heat or pressure.

Port bosses insisted the ship was safe and moved to reassure people living nearby.

Now Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill has backed up their position in the House of Lords.

He said that the Government and the Health and Safety Executive have engaged with the ship’s management company and Peel Ports, which owns Great Yarmouth port, to provide guidance and advice on safe transfer in line with UK regulations.

The minister said: “I am told that handling ammonium nitrate is a normal operational activity at Great Yarmouth.”

He went on: “As far as the port is concerned, this is a routine activity and, in fact, it accounts for no more than the removal of the cargo from one ship by means of lorries on the quayside and putting the cargo in a second one…

“The transfer of cargo has begun and it is regarded by the port as not an exceptional activity.”

He added: “Ammonium nitrate is regularly handled at UK ports and standard health and safety procedures have been and are being followed.”

In Lebanon in 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored in the port of Beirut exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless.

However, the minister wanted to make it clear that this was because it had been incorrectly stored for several years.

Lord Hendy said: “The explosion in Beirut occurred because of the incorrect storage of a large amount of ammonium nitrate over a prolonged period.

“It was being stored in a shed alongside fireworks that caught fire and caused the explosion.

“The ammonium nitrate on the Motor Vessel Ruby has been stored correctly and is not believed to be compromised in any way and the port of Great Yarmouth has experience of handling agricultural dry bulk cargoes, including ammonium nitrate, over 200,000 tonnes of which are imported to the UK through various ports.”

Tory peer Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton, who identified himself as a firework maker and bomb disposal officer, confirmed: “Pure old ammonium nitrate is perfectly safe in its own condition but, when it is mixed 16:1 with diesel, it does become a high explosive.”

He suggested that the minister could reassure residents that there was “no diesel seepage and therefore no threat”.

Another Conservative peer, Lord Bellingham, added: “This port owned by Peel Ports does have state of the art handling facilities for hazardous goods including ammonium nitrate and I have every confidence in Peel Ports’ ability to carry out this dry shipment contract.”

Meanwhile, former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, highlighted pictures in the Eastern Daily Press which showed the ship “very safely in the outer harbour handling the ammonium nitrate in a way it has been handled on many occasions in the past”.

He added: “I would like to congratulate Peel Ports and Great Yarmouth and the borough council for the way in which they have carried out this operation, despite the scare stories that have appeared in the media, which, by and large, have been boundless.”

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