Fertiliser dump was 'environmental terrorism' - MP

An MP has described the decision to dump 300 tonnes of fertiliser into the North Sea as "an act of environmental terrorism".

The ammonium nitrate had been on board the MV Ruby, which had docked in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, but was dumped at sea over fears it had become contaminated and could explode.

The town's Reform MP, Rupert Lowe, told Parliament he had been "excluded from all communications" by officials about the dumping operation.

In reply, Department for Transport (DfT) minister Mike Kane said a "full assessment of environment implications and risk was undertaken".

"The location chosen for disposal was identified as the least sensitive in terms of habitat, flora, fauna and fisheries," he added.

Kane also said he had been assured by scientific experts that "ammonium nitrate is not a persistent chemical and that it will dissipate without leaving a trace".

The MV Ruby initially docked in Great Yarmouth in October, carrying 20,000 tonnes of the fertiliser.

The ship, en route from Russia to Africa, had been damaged in storms.

But it left the port to dump part of its cargo due to concerns it could explode.

Lowe told the Commons that advice that the cargo could be safely unloaded on land was ignored, and as the fertiliser was wrapped in plastic bags, it was "a shocking, avoidable double-act of environmental terrorism".

He said: "They will not biodegrade and will float to the surface after a storm, potentially becoming wrapped around a ship's propeller and shaft, causing extensive damage.

"Not forgetting the vast ecological damage to young fish, the seabed and the inevitable algal blooms that will follow."

He also said he understood discussions had taken place about evacuating Great Yarmouth over fears the ship could explode – and that the DfT told local government officials to exclude him from briefings about the MV Ruby.

In response, Kane said that "the British government treats its duties to the natural environment with the highest seriousness".

He also suggested Lowe was casting himself as a "victim of conspiracies":

"Assertions are made that are often outlandish, simply wrong, designed to appeal to malcontents," he said.

A spokesman for Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: "All decisions and communications regarding the MV Ruby were managed by the government, the ship's owners, Peel Ports [the port's owners] and the Health and Safety Executive"

The spokesman added that Conservative council leader Carl Smith was writing to the government as he felt questions he had raised had not been answered.

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