载有2万吨硝酸铵，悬挂马耳他国旗的货船“Ruby”在周末离开并返回英国大雅茅斯后，再次成为争议的焦点。

据称，该船将受污染的货物倾倒在北海。当地官员批评政府允许“Ruby”返回港口的决定，这些货物构成了重大风险。

他们说，船上硝酸铵的数量是2020年贝鲁特爆炸事件的7倍，当时储存在贝鲁特港的大量硝酸铵发生爆炸，造成至少218人死亡，7000人受伤。爆炸造成价值150亿美元的财产损失，约30万人无家可归。

政客们指责国务卿疏忽大意，称这艘船根本不应该被允许进入大雅茅斯。

报告显示，部分货物被发现受到污染，引发了安全问题。据英国海事和海岸警卫局（MCA）称，发现了“少量”受污染的化肥，并“成功清除了”。

媒体报道称，该船于11月16日离开港口，在离岸约12海里处盘旋，然后于11月18日返回。据称，受污染的货物已被排放到海上。

大雅茅斯港（Great Yarmouth）的运营商皮尔港口（Peel Ports）的一名代表表示，这艘船短暂离开是出于“运营原因”。然而，环保人士警告说，硝酸铵暴露在海水中可能会损害海洋生态系统，从而对鱼类种群构成风险。

交通部为自己的决定进行了辩护，称该行动遵循了MCA和健康与安全执行局（HSE）提供的安全指导方针。他们称停靠是一个“商业决定”，并补充说，没有拒绝船只入境的法律依据。

在被挪威、瑞典和立陶宛等多个国家拒绝入境几个月后，“Ruby”号最初于10月底停靠在大雅茅斯港。

这些国家的有关当局都对该船的安全表示担忧，因为该船在8月份的挪威搁浅事件中受到了损害。船舶作了临时修理，由拖船按照船级社DNV和船旗国马耳他所规定的条件下护送。

该船的运营商阿联酋宁静航运公司目前正在将货物转运到另一艘悬挂巴巴多斯国旗的Zimrida船上。一些货物已经转移，但在发现污染后出现了延误。

尽管政府代表再三保证硝酸铵“不是一种持久性化学物质”，会在海水中消失，但环保组织还是批评了在海上处理受污染硝酸铵的做法。

“Ruby”于9月开始引起国际关注，当时挪威当局因其载有爆炸性货物而命令该船离开特罗姆瑟。自那以后，这艘船一直面临批评。

▲Image for representation purposes only

英文原文

The Malta-flagged cargo ship Ruby, carrying 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, has once again become the focus of a controversy after a weekend departure and return to Great Yarmouth, UK.



Allegations are that the ship has dumped contaminated cargo into the North Sea. Local officials have criticized the government’s decision to allow Ruby back into port, saying that the cargo posed major risks.



They said that the quantity of ammonium nitrate aboard was seven times the amount involved in the 2020 Beirut explosion, in which a large amount of ammonium nitrate which was stored at the port of Beirut exploded, killing at least 218 people and injuring 7,000. The explosion damaged property worth $15 billion, leaving about 3,00,000 people homeless.



Politicians accused the Secretary of State of negligence, saying that the ship should never have been allowed entry into Great Yarmouth.



Reports revealed that part of the cargo was found contaminated, raising safety concerns. According to the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), a “small quantity” of the contaminated fertilizer was identified and “successfully removed.”



Media reports say the ship left port on November 16, circling about 12 nautical miles offshore, before returning on November 18. Allegations are that the contaminated cargo had been discharged at sea.



A Peel Ports representative, the operator of Great Yarmouth port, said that the ship’s brief departure was for “operational reasons.” However, environmentalists warned that ammonium nitrate’s exposure to seawater could harm marine ecosystems, which could risk fish populations.



The Department for Transport defended its decision, saying that the operation followed safety guidelines provided by the MCA and Health & Safety Executive (HSE). They described the docking as a “commercial decision,” adding that there was no legal basis to refuse the entry of the vessel.



The Ruby had initially docked in Great Yarmouth in late October after months of being denied entry by multiple countries, including Norway, Sweden, and Lithuania.



Authorities in these countries were concerned about the safety due to damage sustained by the ship during a grounding incident in Norway in August. Temporary repairs were made, and the vessel was escorted by tugs under conditions imposed by its class society, DNV, and Malta, its flag state.



The ship’s operator, Serenity Shipping of the UAE, is currently transshipping the cargo to another vessel, the Barbados-flagged Zimrida. Some cargo has already been transferred, though delays occurred after the discovery of contamination.



Environmental groups criticized the disposal of contaminated ammonium nitrate at sea despite reassurances from government representatives who argued that ammonium nitrate is “not a persistent chemical” and would disappear in seawater.



The Ruby began grabbing international attention in September when Norwegian authorities ordered the vessel to leave Tromsø due to its explosive cargo. Since then, the vessel has faced constant criticism.

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