Amman  - The Russia-flagged ship that has been stranded at a Jordanian port for the past six months would not be allowed to unload its cargo of rotten corn, an official said Monday, citing environmental concerns.

The Krymchakhlar, with 29,000 tons of corn aboard, arrived at the Red Sea port of Aqaba from India in mid-September and was impounded after the importer won a legal dispute with the ship's owners.

"We rule out the possibility of unloading the ship in Jordan due to the injurious impact on the environment of destroying its load of rotten corn," Director of Aqaba Agricultural Department Ibrahim Gharib told the official Petra news agency.

"Our decision not to unload the vessel at Aqaba was also prompted by the presence of live insects on the ship which can affect other agricultural products at the port if the shipment was unloaded," he said.

Laboratory tests conducted on the ship found its cargo "not fit for animal consumption".

"The importer can re-export the corn to any other country the environmental laws of which permit the delivery of the shipment," Gharib said. (dpa)