Houthi warns of further sinking of British ships

Yemen's Houthi forces said on March 3 they would target more British ships in the Red Sea after the sinking of the Rubymar, a ship carrying thousands of tons of fertilizer.

The Rubymar sank in the Red Sea. Photo: AP

The warning came a day after the Yemeni government announced that the British-owned ship Rubymar was sunk after being hit by a Houthi anti-ship missile on February 18.

The Rubymar was attacked while en route from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Bulgaria on February 18, after which the crew decided to abandon the ship in the southern Red Sea.

The ship is registered in the UK and operated by a Lebanese company. Earlier reports said the crew on the Rubymar were evacuated to another ship and brought safely to Djibouti.

MV Rubymar sank after being hit by two Houthi missiles, one of which penetrated the side of the ship. Images released showed the stern of the ship sinking to the level of the deck. The leaking fuel created a 30km-long slick.

Houthi forces have seized the commercial ship Galaxy Leader and launched hundreds of drone and missile attacks on commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea, the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023.

The group said it had banned any Israel-bound ships from passing through the Red Sea in a bid to force Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Hussein Al-Ezzi, deputy head of foreign affairs in Yemen’s Houthi-led government, said their forces would continue sinking ships in the Red Sea, even if it meant causing an ecological disaster off the coast of Yemen. He also blamed Britain for joining US-led strikes on Houthi targets and supporting Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip.

Yemeni Transport Minister Abdul Salam Humaid said in a statement on March 2 that he had asked the Jeddah-based Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environmental Conservation Area Organization and other marine conservation agencies to help prevent any pollution from the ship, as well as help form a legal committee to force the ship owner to remove the ship and its cargo.

The US Central Command said on March 3 that the cargo of ammonium phosphate fertilizer on board posed a danger to maritime life and that the sunken ship was also a danger to other ships passing through the Red Sea.

“If the ship sinks, it will pose a risk of underwater collision to other vessels transiting these busy shipping lanes,” the US military said in a statement. “The Houthis pose a heightened threat to global maritime operations.”

Despite worldwide condemnation and warnings of the consequences of their actions, the Houthis continue to threaten to obstruct the mission to rescue the ship before humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.

Houthi forces have increased attacks on cargo ships passing through the Red Sea after fighting in the Gaza Strip broke out in early October 2023.

The US and UK began striking Houthi targets in Yemen in January 2024 in response, but have not been able to stop the group from continuing to attack cargo ships.

Compiled by NGUYEN TAN

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