A cargo ship sank in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants, taking about 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer down with it, posing a significant environmental risk to one of the world’s busiest waterways and the home of many coral reefs.
The Rubymar was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis on Feb. 18 and sank early Saturday after “slowly taking on water” since the attack, U.S. Central Command [said](https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1764124845212680639) on social media early Sunday local time.
“The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea,” Centcom said, adding that the ship “also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”
The ship’s sinking “will cause an environmental disaster,” the Yemeni government [said](https://sabanew.net/story/ar/107637) in a separate statement.
It is believed to be the first time a vessel has been completely taken out by a Houthi strike. For months, the Houthis have been using missiles and drones to attack commercial and naval vessels traversing the Red Sea in protest of Israel’s [war in Gaza](https://www.washingtonpost.com/israel-hamas-war/?itid=lk_inline_manual_11).
“In protest of Israel’s war.” Oh so they are protesters now and not detestable terrorists?
Im more inclined to blame the western Military Industrial Complex for vast environmental damage than a bunch of guys in sandals advocating for an end to a western backed ethnic cleansing in their own region.
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A cargo ship sank in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants, taking about 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer down with it, posing a significant environmental risk to one of the world’s busiest waterways and the home of many coral reefs.
The Rubymar was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis on Feb. 18 and sank early Saturday after “slowly taking on water” since the attack, U.S. Central Command [said](https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1764124845212680639) on social media early Sunday local time.
“The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea,” Centcom said, adding that the ship “also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”
The ship’s sinking “will cause an environmental disaster,” the Yemeni government [said](https://sabanew.net/story/ar/107637) in a separate statement.
The Houthi attack last month caused an [18-mile oil slick](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/02/24/houthi-airstrikes-us-uk/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) and [forced the crew](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/19/houthi-attack-rubymar-ship-yemen/?itid=lk_inline_manual_10) to abandon the ship. The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, which coordinated the rescue of the Rubymar’s crew members, [said](https://twitter.com/dpfza/status/1759606818978906406) the fertilizer onboard was classified as “very dangerous.”
It is believed to be the first time a vessel has been completely taken out by a Houthi strike. For months, the Houthis have been using missiles and drones to attack commercial and naval vessels traversing the Red Sea in protest of Israel’s [war in Gaza](https://www.washingtonpost.com/israel-hamas-war/?itid=lk_inline_manual_11).
Read the full story here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/03/rubymar-houthi-attack-red-sea/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/03/rubymar-houthi-attack-red-sea/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
“In protest of Israel’s war.” Oh so they are protesters now and not detestable terrorists?
Im more inclined to blame the western Military Industrial Complex for vast environmental damage than a bunch of guys in sandals advocating for an end to a western backed ethnic cleansing in their own region.