Red Sea: Cargo ship attacked by Houthis sinks

The Belize-flagged cargo vessel, which was attacked by Houthi militants on 18 February has sunk, US CENTRAL COMMAND (CENTCOM) said.

PHOTO: M/V RUBYMAR slowly taking on water. US CENTCOM on X

Iran-backed militants attacked M/V RUBYMAR, a UK-registered bulk carrier, while it was en route from Khor Fakkan to Varna in Bulgaria.

The ship was carrying about 21,000 mt of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer, US CENTCOM said. It poses an environmental risk in the Red Sea. “As the ship sinks it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway,” US CENTCOM said.

The vessel was attacked 35 nautical miles (65 km) south of Yemen’s Al Mukha, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.  The UKMTO confirmed that the crew had safely abandoned the vessel, with all members safe.

Houthi rebels have been conducting airstrikes and drone attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea trade route and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Yemeni insurgents’ spokesperson Yahya Sare’e warned that the attacks in the Red Sea will continue until Israel halts its military operations in the Gaza Strip.

“Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea are doubling shipping costs to the United States [US] and having real human impacts—increasing the costs of food, medicine, and fuel,” the US Department of State said in a statement.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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