A British-owned cargo ship that was attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels about two weeks ago has finally sunk, becoming the first ship to be sunk since the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas war.
The MV Rubimar, a Belize-flagged bulk carrier, was attacked by two anti-ship missiles fired by the Houthis on February 18, one of which hit, causing significant damage. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that. time.
Two nearby ships responded to the incident and safely evacuated all 24 crew members, but the Rubimar was left at sea and slowly drained of water as its cargo, fertilizer and fuel spilled into the sea. He died while drinking. CENTCOM called this an “environmental disaster.”
The British-owned cargo ship MV Rubimar, which was attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi missiles about two weeks ago, has finally sunk, becoming the first ship to be sunk since the war between Israel and Hamas began. (Al-Juriya TV/AP)
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Incredible aerial footage taken on Wednesday showed a partially submerged ship near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It was flowing north, with an oil slick extending at least 29 miles.
Plans to tow the ship to a safe port never materialized.
On Saturday afternoon, the British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center, which monitors Middle East waterways, separately confirmed the sinking of the Rubimar. The vessel is owned by her Golden Adventure Shipping SA of Southampton, UK.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government and regional military officials confirmed the ship had sunk.
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press from Planet Labs PBC on Wednesday showed a small boat alongside the Rubimar. It was not immediately clear whose ship it was. The images showed the Rubimar’s stern submerged in the Red Sea but still floating, echoing previous videos of the ship.
And on Friday, private security firm Ambry separately reported on a mysterious incident involving the Rubimaa, where a number of Yemenis were reportedly injured in a security incident. It did not elaborate on the nature of the incident, and officials in Yemen’s long-running war did not claim a new attack on the ship, the Associated Press reported.
Front view of the cargo ship MV Rubymar, which sank on Wednesday. (Al-Juriya TV/AP)
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Satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies on Friday showed damage to the Rubimar from a new explosion that had not been seen before, and there were no other ships nearby. She then sank quickly.
The Houthis, a Shiite Zaidi group, captured Yemen’s capital in 2014 and have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015. Their Zaidi sect ran a 1,000-year-old kingdom in Yemen until 1962.
Cargo passing through the Suez Canal has since decreased significantly. supported by Iran Houthi militants have begun attacking ships in the Red Sea as a show of support for the Palestinians in the Israeli-Hamas war that began in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel that killed 1,200 people.
The Suez Canal is an important shipping route as it provides ships with a direct link between the North Atlantic and the northern Indian Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. These ships included at least one with cargo destined for Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, and an aid vessel later bound for Houthi-held areas, including tens of millions of dollars worth of U.S.-made cargo. A drone was also shot down.
In response to this attack, US and British forces launched a series of proportional attacks against Houthi targets in Yemen.
On Thursday, CENTCOM forces conducted two self-defense strikes against six mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were preparing to launch into the Red Sea. Earlier in the evening, CENTCOM forces shot down a drone over the southern Red Sea in self-defense, the agency said.
The MV Rubimar was attacked on February 18th and continued to slowly take on water, eventually sinking. (Al-Juriya TV/AP)
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The Houthis have insisted they will continue their attacks until Israel ceases combat operations in the Gaza Strip, a move that has outraged the Arab world and helped the group gain international recognition.
However, attacks have slowed in recent days. The reason remains unclear.
FOX News’ Bradford Bens and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
