Ship earlier attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels sinks in the Red Sea
The Hindu
A ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, officials said on March 2, the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of their campaign over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
A ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, officials said on March 2, the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of their campaign over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The sinking of the Rubymar comes as shipping through the crucial waterway for cargo and energy shipments moving from Asia and the Middle East to Europe has been affected by the Houthi attacks.
Already, many ships have turned away from the route. The sinking could see further detours and higher insurance rates put on vessels plying the waterway — potentially driving up global inflation and affecting aid shipments to the region.
The Belize-flagged Rubymar had been drifting northward after being attacked on Feb. 18 in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government, as well as a regional military official, confirmed the ship sank. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as no authorization was given to speak to journalists about the incident.
The Rubymar’s Beirut-based manager could not be immediately reached for comment.
Yemen’s exiled government, which has been backed by a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, said the Rubymar sank late on March 1 as stormy weather took hold over the Red Sea. The vessel had been abandoned for 12 days after the attack, though plans had been made to try and tow the ship to a safe port.