The British merchant ship Rubymar sank in the Red Sea on February 18 while transiting the Strait of Bad al Mandab and was hit by rockets from pro-Iranian Yemeni Houthi militias. This was reported by the Emirati broadcaster “Sky News Arabia”, based on a statement from the internationally recognized Yemeni government based in Aden. According to the same executive, the sinking will cause “an environmental disaster in the territorial waters of Yemen and the Red Sea.” “Without immediate intervention, the situation could escalate into a serious environmental crisis.” This is the alarm message from Julien Jreissati, director of Greenpeace-Mena programs, who expresses his concern about the ship's sinking in the Red Sea. “In addition to further fuel leaks from the engines, the ship's sinking could cause the hull to crack even further and water to come into contact with the thousands of tons of fertilizer on board, which could then spill into the Red Sea and change the balance of the Impacting marine ecosystems and triggering cascading effects throughout the food web,” warns Jreissati.
Also read: Red Sea, ship hit by the Houthis takes on water and sinks: “environmental disaster”
The Prime Minister of Yemen's internationally recognized government, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, immediately drew attention to the ecological problem, calling the sinking of the Rubymar “an unprecedented environmental disaster.” “It is a new catastrophe for our country and our people,” the prime minister wrote on and of war.” The Houthis have held the capital Sanaa in Yemen since 2014 and have overthrown the government; They have been fighting a stalemate war against the Saudi-led coalition since 2015.