Houthi attack on cargo ship results in a 29-kilometer-long oil slick; US warns of impending environmental catastrophe

Following an assault by Yemeni rebels, a cargo ship that was abandoned in the Gulf of Aden is leaking oil and creating a massive oil slick. The US Central Command warned on Friday that the environmental catastrophe may grow worse.

Claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the cargo ship Rubymar, registered in Britain, managed by Lebanese nationals, and flying the Belizean flag, sustained damage from a missile attack on Sunday.

According to the ship’s operator, the Blue Fleet Group, one missile struck the ship’s side, causing water to enter the engine room and the stern to sink. As a result, the crew was evacuated to Djibouti.

As reported by Blue Fleet CEO Roy Khoury to AFP, a second missile struck the ship’s deck but did not seriously harm it.

According to CENTCOM, the ship has left an 18-mile oil slick and is moored but slowly absorbing water.

In a statement on X, the previous Twitter platform, it said, “The M/V Rubymar was transporting over 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster.”

The ship’s operator reported on Thursday that this week’s towing to Djibouti may go place.

Khoury posted a picture of the ship taken on Wednesday that showed its stern low in the water and said that it was still floating.

Khoury had said that there was “no risk for now, but always a possibility” when asked whether it will sink.

Since the Houthis began shooting on ships in November, they have carried out the most substantial damage to a commercial ship to date: the assault on the Rubymar. They claim that their actions are in support of the Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Some shipping corporations have decided to avoid the Red Sea, which typically receives roughly 12 percent of all maritime traffic worldwide, by going around southern Africa in response to the Houthi strikes.

The amount of commercial traffic using the Suez Canal has decreased by more than 40% during the preceding two months, the UN Conference on Trade and Development said late last month.