auonsson Profile picture
Sep 25, 2024 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.
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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

Mar 17
Baltic Sea is about to welcome false flagged tanker GRIF 9332028 heading for Russia

She is 19 years old and was last inspected by Russia in 2024 with deficiencies in life boats, doors and "dangerous areas"

Sanctioned by EU, UK and Switzerland. Passed inside DK without a hiccup Image
GRIF claims to be flagged in Madagascar. Madagascar on the other hand denies having a international ship registry =)

splash247.com/madagascar-exp…
Read 4 tweets
Mar 14
NATO has started broadcasting a regular request for the reporting of suspicious observations from mariners in Baltic Sea.

Not sure when it started, but a while ago. Thanks anon follower for the recording! =)
Full text:

... in the Baltic Sea region in coordination with NATO Baltic nations to safeguard safety and security, freedom of navigation and the security of undersea infrastructure.....1/2
To assist in this maritime security effort please report immediately any observations of unusual maritime activity or behavior over VHF channel 16. This is Lyngby Radio monitoring VHF chan.....2/2
Read 4 tweets
Mar 9
Soon, an oil-bro heavy on shorts will show you a screendump or even recordings from your favorite AIS-service stating that Hormuz strait is open.

These are the ships "transiting". Ask you local sailor if shipping looks like that.

Repeat after me: real data or it did not happen.
Someone is spoofing ships to make it look like they are entering Hormuz Strait from Indian ocean.

This is false. Ships do not move like this.

Zoomed out version from Marinetraffic. Zoom in version above^
This is an example of real data, in progress (not trained so far). Stay tuned. Image
Read 4 tweets
Jan 30
4 days ago Baltic States + UK wrote a letter interpreted as "Baltic Sea closing for shadow fleet".

No sanctioned tanker has arrived since (unusual*) but coming 24-36h the claim will get its first test with 5 sanctioned tankers inbound. Image
* It is unusual to not see daily sanctioned tanker arrive to Baltic Sea, usually a few each day.

But, the last 4 days lull ismight be explained by weather: Atlantic storms, low temperature and an increasingly frozen Gulf of Finland.
The ice is growing thicc around Russia's Baltic oil terminals.

Ice data outlets list a bunch of ice-breakers in service, but other sources have stated Russia lack capacity to keep the ice-sensitive rust-bucket tankers in play. Image
Read 10 tweets
Jan 17
Underappreciated fact:

The paths and positions of the cable damages around New Years 2026 were to most of Estonia's internet backbone routes.

Had it fully succeeded/happened by accident (lol) Estonia would have been left with a crippled connectivity. Image
Image
Image
Read 5 tweets
Dec 31, 2025
I just deleted a post where I had misread a press release.

5 cables have been damaged, but 3 of those from storm conditions. Image
I might not have been that wrong.

There is a SE-EE incident and a FI-EE incident.

The SE-FI is described as two breaks on the same cable last I read.

As per usual the details, allusions and contexts are vague in news and statements.
Updated map of cable breaks between Sweden and Estonia, based on press release from Estonian ministry for digital affairs.

The details are murky and partly incoherent and I have asked Swedish authorities for clarification.

Whats clear: there are several breaks on one cable. Image
Read 8 tweets

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