On March 2, the Yemeni government announced that the British cargo ship Rubymar, abandoned in the southern Red Sea after being attacked by Houthi forces in Yemen on February 18, had sunk.
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| Houthi rebels attacked the British cargo ship Rubymar on February 18, and the ship sank on March 2. (Source: The National) |
Earlier, on February 24, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the Houthi attack on the British cargo ship Rubymar on February 18 caused significant damage to the vessel and resulted in an oil slick stretching over 29 kilometers.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea also acknowledged that their forces had attacked the Rubymar in the Gulf of Aden and that the ship was in danger of sinking. At the time of the attack, the Rubymar was carrying over 41,000 tons of fertilizer.
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.
This ship is registered in the UK and operated by a Lebanese company. Previous reports indicated that the crew of the Rubymar were evacuated to another vessel and safely transported to Djibouti.
Experts believe that failing to salvage the Rubymar could lead to an environmental disaster because the cargo of over 20,000 tons of fertilizer could harm the regional ecosystem.
Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out numerous drone and missile attacks targeting commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandeb Strait.
Houthi attacks on the route, which accounts for about 12% of international shipping traffic, have increased significantly since the conflict erupted in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
The Houthi rebels have declared they will continue attacks on cargo ships as long as Israel continues its military campaign against Palestinians in Gaza.
The US and UK have repeatedly launched retaliatory operations, attacking Houthi locations where they have deployed radar, anti-ship missiles, suicide boats, and UAVs, but have been unable to prevent the group from continuing to attack cargo ships in the Red Sea.
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