UK-owned Rubymar cargo ship, which was damaged in an attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in January, has reportedly sunk in the Red Sea, Yemen’s government said on Saturday (March 2).
The government further warned of an “environmental catastrophe” from the vessel’s cargo of fertilizer.
“The MV Rubymar sank last night, coinciding with weather factors and strong winds at sea,” said a crisis cell of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in charge of the case.
Roy Khoury, chief executive of the ship’s operator Blue Fleet, according to news agency AFP stated that he was unaware of the sinking.
“We have nobody on board to check if it’s true or not,” he said.
A Yemeni government team on Monday (Feb 26) had visited the Rubymar and said that the vessel was partially submerged. A government statement on Saturday said that the ship had sunk in the southern Red Sea on Friday night.
‘Environmental catastrophe’
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, foreign minister in Yemen’s Aden-based government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, said in a post on X: “The sinking of the Rubymar is an environmental catastrophe that Yemen and the region have never experienced before.
“It is a new tragedy for our country and our people. Every day we pay the price for the adventures of the Houthi militia …”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency on Saturday reported a ship sinking, however, did not identify it.
The ship was hit by missiles fired by the Houthis on Feb 18 and the crew onboard was immediately evacuated.
The US military had previously said that the Rubymar was loaded with over 41,000 tons of fertiliser at the time it was attacked, causing an 18-mile (29km) oil slick.
“The Houthis continue to demonstrate a disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fishing industry, coastal communities, and imports of food supplies,” United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, warning that the ship’s cargo “could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster.”
Earlier, the Yemen’s Iran-backed rebel group had vowed to prevent the rescue of the leaking ship until people in the war-torn Gaza Strip were provided with access to food, water, and medicine.
“The sinking British ship might be hauled in return for delivering aid vehicles to Gaza,” Al-Houthi said on X.
(With inputs from agencies)
