Source: AFP
A cargo ship loaded with fertilizer sank in the Gulf of Aden less than two weeks after it was damaged by missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Yemen’s government said Saturday.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the February 19 attack on the Rubymar, a Belizean-flagged cargo ship operated by a Lebanese company that was carrying flammable fertilizer.
The crew abandoned ship and evacuated to safety after being hit by two missiles.
The ship had departed from the United Arab Emirates and was bound for the Bulgarian port of Varna.
“MV Rubymar sank last night, coincided with weather factors and strong winds at sea,” said a crisis cell of Yemen’s internationally recognized government in charge of the case.
Roy Khoury, chief executive of the ship’s management company Blue Fleet, said he was unaware of the sinking.
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“We don’t have anyone on board to check whether it’s true or not,” he told AFP.
Fuel oil was seen leaking from the vessel in satellite images shared by Maxar Technologies and published by AFP.
The website TankerTrackers said the sinking would “cause environmental disaster in (Yemen’s) territorial waters and the Red Sea.”
“A spill of ammonium nitrate fertilizer into the sea could have several significant impacts on marine ecosystems,” said Julien Jreissati, Greenpeace’s Middle East and North Africa program director.
Maritime safety agency UKMTO, run by the British navy, said the Rubymar was 35 nautical miles (65 kilometers) from the Yemeni port of Mokha when its crew was forced to abandon ship.
The Rubymar was identified as British-registered by US military and security company Ambrey, but Khoury denied this information.
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![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/cdc51f0e34a781db.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
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Since November, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been waging war against Hamas in Gaza following the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel’s main ally, the United States, established a multinational force in December to protect maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
Since January, the US and its allies have launched numerous strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, where Iran-backed rebels have fought forces loyal to the internationally recognized government since 2014.
Source: AFP