Aden, Yemen:
The British Rubymar, attacked by Houthi militants last month, has sunk in the Red Sea, Yemen's internationally recognized government said on Saturday, warning of an “environmental catastrophe” because of the ship's cargo of fertilizer.
If confirmed, it would be the first ship lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial shipping in November, forcing shipping companies to divert ships to the longer, more expensive route around southern Africa.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control northern Yemen and other major centers, say they stand in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Their attacks have prompted a series of assaults on their positions by the United States, Britain and other navies to send ships into the region in an effort to protect a vital trade route.
Italy's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that one of its navy ships had shot down a drone flying towards it in the Red Sea.
The Houthi Transport Ministry, meanwhile, said there was a “disruption” of undersea communications cables in the Red Sea due to actions by US and British naval vessels. No further details were given.
On Monday, a Yemeni government team visited the Rubymar, a Belizean-flagged cargo ship, and said it was partially submerged. A government statement on Saturday said the ship sank in the southern Red Sea on Friday evening.
The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the sinking.
The British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Saturday that a ship was sinking, but did not identify it.
The US military previously said the attack significantly damaged the cargo ship and left an oil slick stretching 18 miles (29 kilometers). The US military said the ship was carrying more than 41,000 tonnes of fertilizer when it was attacked.
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Yemen's internationally recognized government in Aden, said in a post on
“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 recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia, has been at war with the Houthis since 2014.
SEA LIFE ENDANGERED
The release of such large amounts of fertilizer into the Red Sea poses a serious threat to marine life, said Ali Al-Sawalmih, director of the University of Jordan's Marine Science Station.
The excess of nutrients can stimulate the excessive growth of algae, consuming so much oxygen that regular marine life cannot survive, said Al-Sawalmih, describing a process called eutrophication.
“An urgent plan must be adopted by the Red Sea countries to establish a monitoring agenda for the polluted areas in the Red Sea and adopt a clean-up strategy,” he said.
The overall impact depends on how ocean currents deplete the fertilizer and how it is released from the stricken ship, said Xingchen Tony Wang, assistant professor in Boston College's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
The Southern Red Sea ecosystem consists of pristine coral reefs, coastal mangroves and diverse marine life.
Last year, the area avoided a potential environmental disaster when the United Nations removed more than 1 million barrels of oil from a rotting supertanker moored off the coast of Yemen. Those types of operations may be more difficult under the current circumstances.
The Houthi attacks have fueled fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could spread and destabilize the broader Middle East.
In a separate report, the UKMTO agency said it had received a report of a ship being attacked 15 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Mokha.
“The crew anchored the ship and were evacuated by military authorities,” the UKMTO said in an advisory.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)