DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ship assaulted by Yemen's Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, authorities said Saturday, marking the first vessel completely destroyed as part of their campaign against Israel's battle against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The sinking of the Rubymar, which carried fertilizer and previously spilled gasoline, might have a negative impact on the Red Sea ecosystem.
Persistent Houthi strikes have already hindered trade in the important canal that transports freight and oil from Asia and the Middle East to Europe. Many ships have already turned away from this path.
The sinking might result in more diversions and increased insurance prices for vessels traveling the channel, thereby increasing global inflation and hurting relief shipments to the region.
The Belize-flagged Rubymar had been drifting northward after being hit by a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18 in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The sinking of the Rubymar, which carried fertilizer and previously spilled gasoline, might have a negative impact on the Red Sea ecosystem.
Persistent Houthi strikes have already hindered trade in the important canal that transports freight and oil from Asia and the Middle East to Europe. Many ships have already turned away from this path.
The sinking might result in more diversions and increased insurance prices for vessels traveling the channel, thereby increasing global inflation and hurting relief shipments to the region.
The Belize-flagged Rubymar had been drifting northward after being hit by a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18 in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who had wrongly claimed that the ship sank nearly immediately following the attack, did not immediately recognize the sinking.
Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, Yemen's officially recognized prime minister, described the ship's sinking as "an unprecedented environmental disaster."
“It’s a new disaster for our country and our people,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Every day, we pay for the Houthi militia’s adventures, which were not stopped at plunging Yemen into the coup disaster and war.”
Greenpeace also raised concerns about the ship sinking.
“Without immediate action, this situation could escalate into a major environmental crisis,” said Julien Jreissati, program director at Greenpeace MENA.
“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 tonnes of fertilizer, which could then be released into the Red Sea and disrupt the balance of the marine ecosystems, triggering cascading effects throughout the food web.”
Since 2014, the Houthis have occupied Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and expelled the government. Since 2015, it has been fighting a Saudi-led coalition in a stalemate conflict.
The Associated Press studied satellite images from Planet Labs PBC that showed smaller boats beside the Rubymar on Wednesday. It wasn't immediately evident which vessels they were. The photographs showed the Rubymar's stern plunging into the Red Sea but remaining afloat, echoing previously captured footage of the vessel.
Ambrey, a private security service, reported separately on Friday about the odd occurrence involving the Rubymar.
“A number of Yemenis were reportedly harmed during a security incident which took place” on Friday, Ambrey said. It did not elaborate on what that incident involved and no party involved in Yemen’s yearslong war claimed any new attack on the vessel.
A satellite photograph acquired Friday by Maxar Technologies revealed additional blast damage on the Rubymar that had not previously been observed, with no other boats nearby.
Since November, the rebels have frequently attacked ships in the Red Sea and nearby areas during the Israel-Hamas conflict. At least one of these ships was carrying supplies intended for Iran, the Houthis' primary patron, while another was carrying help for Houthi-controlled area.
Despite more than a month of US-led airstrikes, Houthi rebels are still capable of mounting major attacks. This includes the attack on the Rubymar and the downing of an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars. The Houthis say that their strikes will continue until Israel ends its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have angered the Arab world and earned the Houthis worldwide prominence.
However, attacks have slowed in recent days. The cause for this is uncertain.
