The sinking of a ship loaded with chemical fertilizers off the coast of Yemen that was attacked by Houthi rebels poses the risk of significant environmental damage in the Red Sea and is overwhelming the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.
• Also read: Ship targeted off Yemen
• Also read: Ship sunk by the Houthis: danger to the environment and maritime traffic
A Belize-flagged Lebanese company's cargo ship damaged by Yemeni rebel missiles on February 18 sank at dawn on Saturday after being evacuated and abandoned.
The Rubymar carried 22,000 tons of ammonium phosphate and sulfate fertilizer as well as fuels, including 200 tons of fuel oil and 80 tons of diesel, said Abdelsalam al-Jaabi, an expert at the Yemeni Environmental Protection Agency, pointing out the risk of “double pollution.”
Before sinking, the ship had already left behind an 18 nautical mile layer of fuel, according to the US military.
If the cargo comes into contact with water, thousands of tonnes of toxic products could “leave into the Red Sea and disrupt the balance of marine ecosystems”, Greenpeace warned, calling for an emergency plan to avoid a “major environmental crisis”.
This “could affect species that depend on these ecosystems and impact the livelihoods of coastal communities,” warned the organization’s regional manager, Julien Jreissati.
According to Abdelsalam al-Jaabi, up to “half a million people” who make their living from fishing in the region could be affected.
“Ecological disaster”
Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, has been wracked by conflict between the government and Houthi rebels since 2014.
These Iran-aligned insurgents have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November that they believe are linked to Israel, saying they are acting in “solidarity” with the Gaza war that began in October Palestinians act.
Since the United States set up a multinational maritime defense force and launched attacks against its positions in Yemen, partly with help from the United Kingdom, the Houthis have also targeted American and British ships.
The Rubymar, which left the United Arab Emirates for Bulgaria, was portrayed by the Houthis as a “British ship.”
The US military and maritime security company Ambrey had also linked it to the UK, but according to the cargo operator, the Lebanese company Bluefleet, it is registered in the Marshall Islands.
After the attack, Bluefleet director Roy Khoury told AFP he wanted to tow the Rubymar, but neither the Yemeni government, Djibouti nor Saudi Arabia had agreed to take her.
Yemeni Transport Minister Abdelsalam Hamid confirmed that he had refused to receive him at the port of Aden for “fear of an environmental disaster.”
A source close to the presidential office in Djibouti, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also claimed she declined “because of the environmental risk.” Saudi authorities could not be reached by AFP.
However, the head of the Yemeni Environmental Protection Agency, Faisal al-Thaalbi, accused the operator and owner of the ship of “not responding to official letters” and “being part of the problem.”
The day before the sinking, maritime security firm Ambrey reported an “incident” around the ship that caused “a number of injuries,” without providing further details.
Worst case scenario
The boat was attacked while it was 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the Yemeni port of Mokha before drifting away, raising fears of pollution on Yemen's coasts.
UN envoy Hans Grundberg announced in an interview on Monday that five experts from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) would travel to Yemen “within 48 hours” to assess the situation.
Local teams have already been dispatched to inspect beaches and take samples, Faisal al-Thaalbi said, expressing concern that “water sources” and “desalination plants” could be affected.
Coastal contamination is the “worst-case scenario,” he stressed, but he said authorities have floating barriers that could be deployed to protect the most sensitive areas.