CAIRO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The British freighter Rubimar sank off the coast of Yemen on March 1 after being hit by a Houthi missile in Yemen. The Houthis fired multiple missiles at an "Israeli ship" sailing in the Arabian Sea on the 4th, and used drones and missiles to attack several US ships sailing in the Red Sea.
Analysts pointed out that after the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, the Houthis frequently attacked ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea waters to show their support for Palestine. The sinking of the Rubimar, which carries tens of thousands of tons of fertilizer, threatens to disrupt the ecological balance of the Red Sea and cause a major disaster to the region's fisheries. The attack could also exacerbate the Red Sea crisis, further spilling over the effects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and further complicating the security situation in the Middle East.
This photograph, taken at an unknown date, shows the British freighter Rubimar before it sank. Yemen** issued a statement on March 2 saying that due to the storm, the British cargo ship "Rubimar", which was previously hit by Houthi missiles, sank off the coast of Yemen on the night of the 1st. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Yemen**) The sinking of the ship has triggered an environmental crisis.
On 18 February, the Houthis attacked the Rubimar in the Gulf of Aden with missiles, causing severe damage to the ship and forcing the crew to evacuate. For the next 12 days, the freighter, carrying tens of thousands of tons of fertilizer and large quantities of fuel oil, remained anchored in the waters off Yemen and slowly flooded. The spilled fuel oil formed a belt of oil up to 30 kilometers long on the surface of the sea. On March 1, bad weather in the waters off Yemen eventually sank.
A ship sank in the waters of the Red Sea, the British Office of Maritime Operations said, but did not name names. The U.S. ** Command issued a statement saying that the cargo carried by the "Rubimar" poses a great threat to the environment of the Red Sea, and the wreck will also have a safety impact on ships traveling on this route.
International environmental groups and marine experts have pointed out that the large amount of fertilizer carried by the "Rubimar" will seriously damage the ecological environment of the Red Sea and deal a heavy blow to fishing in the waters near Yemen. Abdul Qadir Haraz, a former director of Yemen's Public Authority for Environmental Protection, noted that the freighter's fertiliser would be a "catalyst for algae growth", with seaweed forming a dense cover on the surface of the water and coral reefs, causing massive coral deaths and a huge blow to biodiversity in nearby waters.
Ali Savalami, director of the Marine Science Station at the University of Jordan, said: "The countries bordering the Red Sea should activate emergency plans, set a schedule to monitor contaminated waters, and adopt clean-up strategies. "Yemen** on February 24 called on other countries and marine conservation organizations to take measures to respond to the sea surface oil belt to avoid a serious environmental disaster.
This photograph, taken at an unknown date, shows the British freighter Rubimar before it sank. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of Yemen**) Before the sinking of the freighter, Yemen** had been calling for assistance from the international community to take measures to prevent the leakage of fertilizer on board, but it did not receive a wide response. Yemeni maritime expert Ben Hadi stressed that the international community should take a more serious approach to the environmental crisis, criticizing the United States and Britain for carrying out air strikes without regard for environmental hazards. Mohammed Ali Houthi, chairman of the Houthi "Supreme Revolutionary Council", said on the 2nd that Britain should be held responsible for the sinking of the "Rubimar".
The situation in the Red Sea is "worse".
Analysts pointed out that the sinking of the "Rubimar" has exacerbated the already tense security situation in the Red Sea and faces the risk of further escalation.
Salam Asbashi, a former senior general of the Yemeni Army, said that the sinking of the "Rubimar" will further complicate the situation and may lead the United States and Britain to escalate military strikes against the Houthis, and even did not rule out the possibility of military intervention on the ground in Yemen by the two countries.
On February 24, smoke rose from the Yemeni capital after an air strike by US and British warplanes (mobile phone photo). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Azaki) After the outbreak of the current round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7 last year, the Houthis frequently attacked ships associated with Israel in the Red Sea and the waters near Yemen to show their support for Palestine. Since January 12 this year, the United States and the United Kingdom have launched successive airstrikes on Houthi targets, killing and injuring many people. The Houthis have repeatedly said they will respond, saying that the attacks will cease only if Israel ceases fire and allows unhindered humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip.
Asbashi believes that if there is a breakthrough in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in the near future, the situation in the Red Sea may be eased. A new round of ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip took place in Cairo, Egypt, on 3 March, with representatives from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the United States, Qatar and Egypt, but Israel did not send any. The mediators hope for a ceasefire agreement before Ramadan, but the outlook is uncertain.
Haraz pointed out that the continuous fermentation of the Red Sea crisis has not only caused a major impact on the regional political economy, but also increased the possibility of environmental pollution, forming a vicious circle. As the Houthis continue to attack merchant ships in the Red Sea, premiums and freight rates on the Red Sea-Suez route have seen a significant increase, and many shipping lines prefer to use their older vessels to carry out this route in order to reduce risk. However, these cargo ships themselves are less resistant to strikes, and are more likely to have problems such as ship sinking or cargo leakage due to attacks.