cargo ship sunk by Houthi attack poses environmental risk, US military says

The cargo ship loaded with fertilizer that sank in the Gulf of Aden presents a risk to the environment, the American army warned on Saturday March 2. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the February 19 attack on the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged merchant vessel operated by a Lebanese company, which was carrying combustible fertilizers. Yemen’s government said Saturday that the ship had sunk.

“The approximately 21 000 tonnes of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertilizer carried by the ship poses an environmental risk in the Red Sea.said the United States Central Command (Centcom) in a statement. “By sinking, the vessel also poses a risk of subsurface impact to other vessels that use the waterway’s busy shipping routes”he added.

THE Rubymar had left the United Arab Emirates and was heading towards the Bulgarian port of Varna. Its crew had abandoned ship and was able to be evacuated to safety after being hit by two missiles. Several other organizations have also expressed concern about the environmental threat posed by the tanker. Satellite images shared by Maxar Technologies and published by AFP show fuel oil escaping from the ship.