ADEN, Yemen. The Rubymar cargo ship, attacked last month, has sunk in the southern Red Sea, Yemen’s internationally recognized government said in a statement on Saturday.
“If verified, it would be the first vessel lost since Houthi militants began targeting commercial shipping in November,” the government statement said.
The ship was reported to have sunk on Friday night, and the government warned of a potential “environmental catastrophe” resulting from the incident.
Previously, the U.S. military’s Central Command stated that the ship was carrying more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it came under attack.
Yemen’s Houthi militants have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region since mid-November, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Earlier this week, a Yemeni government team visited the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned cargo ship, and reported that it was partially submerged and at risk of sinking within a couple of days.
The U.S. military had previously reported significant damage to the freighter, including an 18-mile (29-km) oil slick caused by the attack.
The United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the sinking on Saturday.
In separate reports on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency stated that it had received a report of a ship being attacked 15 nautical miles west of Yemen’s port of Mokha.
“The crew took the vessel to anchor and were evacuated by military authorities,” the UKMTO said in an advisory note.
Additionally, the UKMTO reported another ship sinking, though neither report specifically named the Rubymar, both incidents occurred in the vicinity of where the Rubymar was last seen.
Houthi attacks on shipping have forced shipping companies to divert vessels onto longer, more expensive routes around southern Africa. These attacks have also heightened concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict could escalate, further destabilizing the wider Middle East.
In response to the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden, the United States and Britain began striking Houthi targets in Yemen in January.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government is based in the southern port of Aden, while the Houthis control much of the north and other major urban centers.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
