Yemen said on the 2nd that the British freighter "Rubimar", which was hit by a Houthi missile in Yemen, sank off the coast of Yemen. A large amount of fertilizer on board the ship sank into the sea, posing a threat to the ecological environment of the Red Sea.
Completely sunk. A team from Yemen** inspected the "Rubimar" hit by Houthi missiles on February 26 and said the freighter was partially sunk. Yemen** said in a statement on the 2nd of this month that the "Rubimar" sank on the night of the 1st.
On February 26, 2024 local time, in the waters of the Red Sea in Yemen, the British cargo ship "Rubimar" was seriously damaged after being attacked by Houthi missiles in recent days. IC diagram.
The British Maritime Operations Office said on the 2nd that a ship sank in the waters of the Red Sea, but did not specify which ship it was. The U.S. ** Command confirmed in the early morning of the 3rd that the "Rubimar" had sunk. This is the first ship to be completely sunk by the Houthis since they began attacking ships in the Red Sea shipping lanes in November last year, according to multiple reports.
Mohammed Ali Houthi, chairman of the Houthi "Supreme Revolutionary Council", said late on the 2nd that the sinking of the "Rubimar" should be borne by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the United Kingdom. He wrote on social media: "If aid had been allowed into Gaza, Sunak would have had a chance to rescue the Rubimar. ”
The Houthis attacked the Rubimar with missiles on 18 February, damaging the cargo ship and forcing the crew to move to Djibouti. The U.S. ** Command said on the 24th of that month that the "Rubimar" was carrying a large amount of fertilizer, and the hull slowly flooded after the attack.
Environmental catastrophe. Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak said the sinking of the Rubimar was an unprecedented environmental disaster. According to the latest statement from the U.S. ** Command, the "Rubimar" carried about 2The sinking of 10,000 tonnes of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertilizer poses a threat to the ecology of the Red Sea and poses a risk of underwater impact to other ships passing through the Red Sea shipping lanes.
The flow of large amounts of chemical fertilizers into the sea leads to eutrophication of the water body, which will cause serious damage to the coral reefs in this water. Ali Savalami, director of the Marine Science Station at the University of Jordan, said that excess nutrients can cause algae to grow and consume large amounts of oxygen, making it difficult for marine life to survive. "Countries bordering the Red Sea should activate emergency plans, set schedules to monitor polluted waters, and adopt clean-up strategies. ”
After the attack on the Rubimar, an oil belt about 30 kilometers long formed on the surface of the sea. The Associated Press reported that the oil left behind by the ship could clog a desalination facility built by Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea coast. In addition, pollution will hit Yemen's second-largest export industry, the fishery.
The situation is tense. The Italian Ministry of Defense said on the 2nd that the destroyer "Cayo Duilio" of the Italian Navy shot down a Houthi drone in the waters of the Red Sea.
The Italian Ministry of Defense said that the Cayo Duilio shot down the drone when it was about 6 kilometers from the hull for the purpose of "self-defense" and to protect the Red Sea shipping lanes from drone and missile attacks by the Houthis. The Houthis had previously approached ships in a similar manner to launch attacks, the statement said.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto believes that the Houthi attack on the ship is a serious violation of international law, a threat to the safety of shipping, and is part of a "hybrid war" strategy against a number of countries, intended to show solidarity with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Almost at the same time, the Houthi "Ministry of Transport" said that due to the actions of American and British naval vessels, there was a failure in the communication cable on the bottom of the Red Sea. However, the Houthis did not elaborate.
Since the outbreak of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7 last year, the Houthis have frequently attacked ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the waters near Yemen in response to Hamas. In order to avoid risks, many international shipping companies have been forced to temporarily avoid the Red Sea shipping lanes and detour to the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. The United States and the United Kingdom launched multiple rounds of airstrikes on Houthi targets on January 12, killing and injuring many people, but failed to stop the Houthi attacks. On 19 February, the Council of the European Union announced the launch of an escort operation, codenamed Shield, to safeguard security and commercial interests in the Red Sea and Gulf regions.