The Red Sea is one of the most important shipping routes in the world and one of the most beautiful marine ecosystems in the world. However, just recently, a shocking incident occurred in this area, a British freighter carrying about 20,000 tons of fertilizer completely sank in the Red Sea lane, which not only caused huge economic losses, but also posed a serious threat to the ecology of the Red Sea.
The British freighter, named Rubimar, was reportedly hit by a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on February 18, causing damage to the hull and forcing the crew to move to Djibouti. Due to the high flammability and nature of the large amount of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer on board, the U.S. Command issued a warning on the 24th of that month, saying that the freighter could pose a danger to surrounding ships and ports at any time. However, due to obstruction and interference by the Houthis, the international community was unable to rescue and dispose of the cargo ship in time. It wasn't until the evening of March 1 that the freighter sank off the coast of Yemen, sinking all the fertilizer on board into the sea.
The sinking of the freighter has not only sparked a diplomatic dispute between Russia and NATO, but has also attracted great attention from environmental groups and experts. They believe that this is a serious environmental disaster that will have an incalculable impact on coral reefs, marine life, fisheries, desalination and more in the Red Sea. It is estimated that the fertilizer carried by this cargo ship is equivalent to a "fertilizer bomb", once it reacts with seawater, it will release a large amount of ammonia, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and other toxic substances, resulting in changes in the acidity, temperature and salinity of seawater, and destroying the ecological balance of the ocean. These toxic substances also promote algae blooms, deplete oxygen in seawater, cause hypoxia and death in the ocean, and affect marine biodiversity and fishery resources. In addition, the sinking of the freighter left behind a 30-kilometre oil stain that could clog Saudi Arabia's desalination facilities on the Red Sea coast and affect the country's drinking water**.
As an ordinary bystander, I was very surprised and worried about this. In my view, this is an extremely unfortunate event that exposes the security risks and ecological vulnerabilities of the Red Sea shipping lanes, and also poses enormous challenges and pressures to the countries bordering the Red Sea. I hope that all parties concerned can take effective measures as soon as possible to thoroughly investigate and deal with this incident, find out who is responsible and hold them accountable, and at the same time clean up and reduce the pollution and damage to the Red Sea. I also call on the international community to work together to maintain peace and security in the Red Sea, prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, protect the ecological environment of the Red Sea and promote the sustainable development of the Red Sea through cooperation and coordination. I believe that only in this way can we jointly protect this beautiful ocean and let it continue to contribute to human civilization and progress.