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04-03-2024
SANA’A/ DUBAI: A British cargo ship sank in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants, taking some 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer down with it, posing a significant environmental risk to one of the world’s busiest waterways and the home of many coral reefs.
The Rubymar was struck by an anti-ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis on Feb. 18 and sank early Saturday after “slowly taking on water” since the attack, US Central Command said on social media early Sunday local time.
“The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea,” Centcom said, adding that the ship “also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”
The ship’s sinking “will cause an environmental disaster,” the Yemeni government said in a separate statement.
The Houthi attack last month caused an 18-mile oil slick and forced the crew to abandon the ship. The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, which coordinated the rescue of the Rubymar’s crew members, said the fertilizer onboard was classified as “very dangerous.”
It is believed to be the first time a vessel has been completely taken out by a Houthi strike. For months, the 
Houthis have been using missiles and drones to attack commercial and naval vessels traversing the Red Sea in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Julien Jreissati, the program director at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, called for emergency response teams to be given “immediate access” to the site of the ship’s sinking.
“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 tons 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,” Jreissati said.
“This disruption could have far-reaching consequences, affecting various species that depend on these ecosystems and, in turn, potentially impacting the very livelihoods of coastal communities.” (Int’l News Desk)
