The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed that the British cargo ship Rubymar, attacked by Houthi militants on February 18 in the Gulf of Aden, has sunk in the Red Sea.
The Yemeni government reported that Rubymar was sinking earlier, stating it would be an 'unprecedented environmental disaster' for the country.
About two weeks ago, CENTCOM reported that the Houthi attack resulted in an 18-mile oil spill. Rubymar was carrying tens of thousands of tons of fertilizer, now leaking from the ship.
According to CENTCOM, there were approximately 21,000 tons of fertilizer with ammonium sulfate and phosphate on board the Rubymar.
The Belize-flagged Rubymar, built in 1997, carried fertilizer from the United Arab Emirates to Bulgaria. After being hit by a missile, the crew had to abandon the ship urgently. The damaged cargo ship was supposed to be towed to the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia by US Navy ships. However, it turned out to be impossible.
In November 2023, the Houthis began attacking ships in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait area bound for the Suez Canal in solidarity with the residents of the Gaza Strip. They stated that they only targeted ships connected to Israel or carrying cargo to Israel.
Rubymar is the first ship sunk by the Houthis. Its sinking did not harm Israel, but it will cause an environmental disaster in the region.
