The British cargo ship, Rubymar, which was targeted and attacked by Houthi militants in the previous month, has reportedly sunk in the Red Sea. This announcement was made by Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Saturday. They expressed grave concern about the potential for an “ecological disaster” due to the substantial amount of fertilizer the cargo ship was transporting at the time of the incident. If these reports are confirmed to be true, it would mark the first instance of a ship being lost since the Houthi militia began their attacks on commercial shipping in November. This has resulted in companies being forced to reroute their vessels along longer and more expensive routes around southern Africa.
The Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have seized control of northern Yemen along with other sizeable regions. They claim that their actions are motivated by solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
In response to these attacks, the US, British, and other international navies have retaliated with a series of counterattacks. They have also dispatched additional ships to the region in an attempt to safeguard this vital trade route.
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who serves as the foreign minister of Yemen’s internationally recognized government based in Aden, expressed his concern in a post on Xu: “The sinking of the Rubymar is an environmental disaster the likes of which Yemen and the region have not experienced before.”
He further added, “It is a new tragedy for our country and people.”
Yemeni government intelligence
On Monday, the Yemeni government carried out a survey of the Rubymar, a cargo ship flying a Belizean flag. They reported that it was partially submerged.
A statement released by the government on Saturday confirmed that the ship had sunk in the southern Red Sea overnight on Friday.
The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations Agency (UKMTO) also released a report on Saturday stating that the ship was sinking, although they did not specify the name of the ship.
Earlier, the US military had stated that the attack inflicted significant damage on the cargo ship, resulting in an oil slick stretching 18 miles (29 kilometers) long. They also reported that at the time of the Houthi attack, the ship was carrying an excess of 41,000 metric tons of fertilizer.
