ADEN: A UK-owned ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi militants last month sank in the Red Sea, the US military confirmed on Saturday, as it echoed a warning from Yemen’s internationally-recognised government that the vessel’s cargo of hazardous fertiliser posed a risk to marine life.

The Belize-registered Rubymar is the first vessel lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial ships in November against Israel’s war on Gaza. The Houthis’ drone and missile assaults have forced shipping firms to divert ships to the longer route around southern Africa, disrupting global trade by delaying deliveries and sending costs higher.

The sinking bulk carrier also “presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway”, US Central Command (Centcom) said in its statement on social media platform X.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control the north of Yemen and other large centres, say their campaign is a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Rubymar’s sinking marks the first vessel lost since Houthis began targeting commercial shipping in November. The ship was hit by missiles on February 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The crew then abandoned the vessel and evacuated to safety.

The Houthis say they have been targeting ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK in an attempt to pressure them to end Israel’s war on Gaza

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, said that the group held UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government responsible for the vessel sinking because of their support for the genocide and siege of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthi attacks have prompted a series of strikes against their positions by the United States and Britain, and have led other navies to send vessels to the region to try to protect the vital Suez Canal trade route.

The ship sunk by the militants’ attack was carrying about 21,000 metric tons of fertiliser, Centcom said.

Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, the foreign minister in Yemen’s internationally-recognised government in Aden, said in a post on X: “The sinking of the Rubymar is an environmental catastrophe that Yemen and the region have never experienced before.

“It is a new tragedy for our country and our people. Every day we pay the price for the adventures of the Houthi militia ...” the internationally-recognised Yemen government, backed by Saudi Arabia, said. The Yemen’s government has been at war with the Houthis since 2014.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2024