The UK-owned Rubymar, attacked by Houthi militants last month, has sunk in the Red Sea, Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Saturday, warning of an &environmental catastrophe& from the ship's cargo of fertiliser.If confirmed, it would be the first vessel lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial shipping in November, forcing shipping firms to divert vessels on to the longer, more expensive route around southern Africa, Reuters reported.The Iranian-backed Houthis, who control the north of Yemen and other large centres, say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.Their attacks have prompted a series of strikes against their positions by the United States and Britain, and other navies to send vessels to the region to try to protect a vital trade route.Italy's defence ministry said on Saturday one of its naval ships had shot down a drone flying towards it in the Red Sea.The Houthi Transport Ministry, meanwhile, said there had been a &glitch& in undersea communication cables in the Red Sea as a result of actions by United States and British naval vessels.
It did not give further details.On Monday, a Yemeni government team visited the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged cargo ship, and said it was partially submerged.
A government statement on Saturday said the ship had sunk in the southern Red Sea on Friday night.The United States Navy's Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the sinking.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency on Saturday reported a ship sinking, but did not identify it.The United States military previously said the attack had significantly damaged the freighter and caused an 18-mile (29-km) oil slick.
The ship was carrying more than 41,000 metric tons of fertiliser when it came under attack, the United States military has said.Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, 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 government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has been at war with the Houthis since 2014.
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