auonsson Profile picture
Sep 25 20 tweets 7 min read Read on X
RUBY, infamous for repeating cycles of breaking down and working fine and ran out of Tromsö, NO on safety grounds, loaded with 20k tons ammonium nitrate is closing on heavily trafficked Dover Strait.

She has made good speed, straight course and precise turns last 36h.
Image
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Story is that her hull, rudder and propeller are broken to some extent and she needs repairs.

Her flag state is Malta and that is her stated destination. But Malta has signalled she wont even be allowed into territorial waters. Image
This was the state of her rudder and propulsion just a few days ago. Image
Opinion: I think this situation has seen some really bad handling.

Not only was a potential hybrid threat handled poorly with dockings and transits next to population centres, military bases and critical infra.


The more likely case, a ship and crew in an emergency, has also been neglected. And she keeps on steaming, with an ever present risk. No matter if we speak potential nefarious motives or just a ecological, collision risks.

Fair winds , RUBY.
She has two Malta-flagged tugs right behind her. Circled blue icons.


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Shady movements fertilizer ship RUBY has turned towards Thames / London. She is slowing down atm, but just 4 km shy of crossing into UK territorial waters.

Her last hours of travel look fine from AIS, but she has damages. She is loaded with 20k tons potentially explosive NH4NO3. Image
RUBY's course in relation to the fairway she was travelling along an hour ago. Dashed purple line my edit. Image
Mistake above: it should be 5.3 kilometers to UK, I made a mistake measuring.
AMBER II has changed destination to Rotterdam, Netherlands. Aka Europes top port.

AMBER II is RUBY's assisting tug who has been with her since Tromsö, partly also towing her. Image
"Testing 1,2,3. Are the anglosaxians reacting yet?" Image
RUBY has stopped 3 km from the border of UK, about 120 km from London, 0 km from one of or may the busiest shipping lane in the world. Image
There is a low pressure system with high winds passing. This is a good explanation for RUBY seeking shelter. If this is the reason UK has a new visitor til about Saturday. Image
Have not seen anything interesting on AIS during day.

RUBY is close to stationary and with 20 knots wind I think she might be running engine? Not anchored.

Her tug, AMBER II is driving around slowly and just drove to 1128 m from UK.

No sign of Royal Navy =)
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With winds moving in RUBY was left to her own devices 3h ago when her tug AMBER II took of, broadcasting Rotterdam as both destination and origin, the latter being false.

RUBY was ordered to have a tug by her side by NO authorities and given her condition that is likely well.
3 temporary safety certificates with due date Sep 25 was issued by NO authorities and not renewed.

I am not sure what that means legally. Out of insurance? Less obligations? Nothing?

Would be nice if someone knowledgeable chipped in.
It is also interesting to note how close other ships move to RUBY.
DK authorities advised "widest possible berth" in their navigational warning a few days ago.

Cruise ships, freighters and tanker alike. Just now a tanker even stopped close by (might be fuel for RUBY) Image

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More from @auonsson

Oct 2
The Kaliningrad GPS/GNSS-jammer was likely fully turned off yesterday. That's a first since April -24.

Usually it starts each night, but since last Monday it ran 24/7. Then suddenly Sep 30 1300Z it got quiet.

Caveat: observations are few at night, still a completely new pattern Image
Total number of observations. As you can see there are few during nights, but no change during the anomalous pattern. Image
This is the last period before this one with few jammed messages. Image
Read 4 tweets
Sep 29
Fertilizer ship RUBY is crossing into UK waters this second.

She is doing 7 knots towards Thames inlet. Image
Bow in UK, stern on international waters! Image
Read 9 tweets
Sep 29
After a lull since end of July the Kaliningrad GPS-jammer was tuned to a high power, 24/7 mode at the start of this work week.

Presumably RU Baltic forces judge drone attacks to be more probable. Or they want to annoy western aviation extra this week. Image
The same effect, but illustrated by @lemonodor 's brilliant gpsjam.org

Image
Image
In the hiatus from July til now the jammer has been on only during nights, like clockwork. Visualized her by last months 5-min average percentage jammed signals. Image
Read 4 tweets
Sep 25
Sep 14 an attack on AIS caused the sanctioned Russian research vessel Akademik A Karpinskiy to briefly occur at port in Tallin, Estonia.

There is one faulty position displayed, indicating the attack was more likely radio-based or possibly on/from a single feeder. Image
Vesselfinders view of the same data. Image
Read 4 tweets
Sep 23
Estonian public service news @errnews claims that fertilizer ship RUBY is looking to dump its cargo of ammonium nitrate in the sea, citing NO maritime authority. @Sjofartsdir .

This is incorrect. RUBY is looking to unload. Src: direct contact.

err.ee/1609467730/nor…
RUBY is still stationary at the entrance of Skagerak. Nothing is going on judging from AIS-replay. RUBY is drifting and assistant tug AMBER II is driving around, very slowly. Image
@The_Lookout_N , whom I respect greatly, has an opinion slightly differing from mine:
Read 4 tweets
Sep 21
SE authorities are doing an inventory of which SE ports are able to unload fertilizer/bomb-ship RUBY.

Landskrona port of south Sweden have offered a ship to ship solution, ie away from populations.

Atm RUBY has no way to unload her 20k tons of NH4NO3, hence she is stationary. Image
Pure guess work, but a ship to ship transfer would likely take place somewhere in Kattegatt, where it can happen in relatively calmer waters.

All info above is from direct contact with Landskrona port and article linked here.
sverigesradio.se/artikel/skadad…
Since midnight RUBY has drifted 7 NMi to northeast while her tug has been driving around very slowly.

Aside from a Turkish warship (greenish track) passing closely last night nothing exciting is found in AIS-replays.
NO coast guard is there since last night, but 30 NMi away. Image
Read 5 tweets

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