DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES- Just a few weeks ago, the Rubymar, a ship attacked by Houthi rebels from Yemen, has sunk in the Red Sea.
Yahoo News reports that the vessel was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18, 2024. Since then, it has been drifting northward in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The strait is a vital waterway that links the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
According to the U.S. military’s Central command, the Rubymar sank at 2:15 a.m. on Saturday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, which watches over the Middle East waterways, also acknowledged the sinking on Saturday afternoon.
The Belize-flagged ship was carrying a cargo of fertilizer. Causing concern for the environment, on top of already existing concerns about travel impact throughout the strait.
The U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying in part, “The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea.” The statement went on to say, “As the ship sinks it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”
Julien Jreissati, the program director at Greenpeace MENA said, “Without immediate action, this situation could escalate into a major environmental crisis. As well as any further leaks of fuel oil from the engines, the sinking of the vessel could further breach the hull, allowing water to contact with the thousands of tons of fertiziler, which could then be released into the Red Sea and disrupt the balance of the marine ecosystems, triggering cascading effects throughout the food web.”
In 2014, the Houthis took over Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and “expelled the government." The rebels have continued to wreak havoc in the region and have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel’s combat operations in the Gaza Strip stop.
While Houthi rebels have intensified their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters since November, including downing an American drone; there has been a notable decrease in attacks over the past several days.
Nonetheless, the attacks have significantly impacted cargo travel through the Red Sea region, including disrupting aid shipments to Sudan and Yemen. The International Rescue Committee recently said that due to long delays and increased costs, they have suspended aid shipments to Port Sudan all together.
The Italian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying, “The terrorist attacks by the Houthis are a serious violation of international law and an attack on the safety of maritime traffic, on which our economy depends.”
In response to the attack and subsequent sinking of the Rubymar, the prime minister of Yemen’s government, took to X to say, “It’s a new disaster for our country and our people. Every day, we pay for the Houthi militia’s adventures, which were not stopped at plunging Yemen into the coup disaster and war.”
Yahoo News reports that the vessel was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18, 2024. Since then, it has been drifting northward in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The strait is a vital waterway that links the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
According to the U.S. military’s Central command, the Rubymar sank at 2:15 a.m. on Saturday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, which watches over the Middle East waterways, also acknowledged the sinking on Saturday afternoon.
The Belize-flagged ship was carrying a cargo of fertilizer. Causing concern for the environment, on top of already existing concerns about travel impact throughout the strait.
The U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying in part, “The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea.” The statement went on to say, “As the ship sinks it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”
Julien Jreissati, the program director at Greenpeace MENA said, “Without immediate action, this situation could escalate into a major environmental crisis. As well as any further leaks of fuel oil from the engines, the sinking of the vessel could further breach the hull, allowing water to contact with the thousands of tons of fertiziler, which could then be released into the Red Sea and disrupt the balance of the marine ecosystems, triggering cascading effects throughout the food web.”
In 2014, the Houthis took over Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and “expelled the government." The rebels have continued to wreak havoc in the region and have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel’s combat operations in the Gaza Strip stop.
While Houthi rebels have intensified their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters since November, including downing an American drone; there has been a notable decrease in attacks over the past several days.
Nonetheless, the attacks have significantly impacted cargo travel through the Red Sea region, including disrupting aid shipments to Sudan and Yemen. The International Rescue Committee recently said that due to long delays and increased costs, they have suspended aid shipments to Port Sudan all together.
The Italian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying, “The terrorist attacks by the Houthis are a serious violation of international law and an attack on the safety of maritime traffic, on which our economy depends.”
In response to the attack and subsequent sinking of the Rubymar, the prime minister of Yemen’s government, took to X to say, “It’s a new disaster for our country and our people. Every day, we pay for the Houthi militia’s adventures, which were not stopped at plunging Yemen into the coup disaster and war.”
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