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14 Jan 2025

Ship with 7000 tons of Ammonium Nitrate detained in Swedish port – 19 Deficiencies found onboard

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A ship loaded with the  ammonium nitrate has been prohibited from leaving the Port of Uddevalla in Sweden after 19 deficiencies were discovered.

“This ship is not safe,” Mikael Andersson, press officer at the Swedish Transport Agency.

The Cyprus-flagged ship ESL Europa came from Antwerp, Belgium, on January 6th and was scheduled to depart Uddevalla on the Swedish west coast on Tuesday, heading for Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania on Africa’s west coast.

However, following an inspection by the Swedish Transport Agency, the ship was not permitted to leave the harbour, as first reported by Swedish daily newspaper Bohuslänningen

“There are some purely technical deficiencies, but also operational ones, including handling and fire safety deficiencies,” Mikael Andersson from the Transport Agency told Swedish Television News SVT Väst.

 

A common chemical that can explode under certain circumstances

According to the newspaper article, the ship carries 7,000 tons of ammonium nitrate. This is a common substance in ports daily, worldwide and is used as fertilizer and for other common purposes. It is normally safe to handle and transport as long as it is kept in safe concentrations and away from ignition sources, heat, etc. 

However, it is classified as dangerous goods and can, under certain circumstances, be a hazardous chemical, like the one that caused the notorious mega explosion at the Beirut port in Lebanon in 2020—though in much smaller quantities. It was also the same substance that the damaged cargo ship MV Ruby had onboard.

“The ship does not meet the requirements to continue its route. The deficiencies will need to be corrected before it is approved,” says Mikael Andersson.

“They are mixed deficiencies, but 19 is a lot, he said when asked to comment about the deficiencies.