Daily Tribune
HANDOUT picture provided by the Yemeni Al-Joumhouriya TV on 26 February 2024, shows the Rubymar cargo ship sinking off the coast of Yemen. The Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship carrying combustible fertilizer, was damaged in a missile strike on 25 February claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
AL-JOUMHOURIYA TV/Agence France-Presse
The International Maritime Organization has condemned the recent missile attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen of the Belize-flagged Rubymar that later sank the cargo ship loaded with combustible fertilizers in the Red Sea.
According to the shipping journal Lloyd’s List, two Houthi missiles hit the Rubymar and it sank on 4 March.
“The recent sinking of the vessel Rubymar represents an additional risk for the environment and maritime security. We are in contact with the Government of Yemen and other UN organizations to provide necessary assistance,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, speaking at the opening of the tenth session of the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment on Monday at the IMO Headquarters in London.
“IMO will continue to contribute to enhancing the safety of seafarers and transit of vessels of all States through the Red Sea and will closely monitor the situation, in collaboration with Member States and partners from the industry,” he added.
The Lloyd’s List report said that based on the report of US military Central Command, the 28-year-old ship had been taking on water since a Houthi missile penetrated the hull flooding the engine room.
Rubymar was delivering 21,000 tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer from the United Arab Emirates to Bulgaria and had been chartered by the Saudi Arabian commodities and mining company, Ma’aden.
“The ship has already caused a 29 km slick from leaking fuel, but the cargo now presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea. It also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway,” the Lloyd’s List reported.
“The first impact of this crisis, before it has an impact on trade, falls on seafarers. It is the responsibility of this Organization and its Member States to protect all seafarers. I reiterate my firm belief that the exercise of navigational rights and freedom by merchant vessels must be respected. I join the calls for caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation,” according to Dominguez.
Dominguez also repeated his call for the immediate release of the ship Galaxy Leader and its crew. Houthi rebels seized the ship in the Red Sea on 19 November. The 25 crew members are Bulgarian, Filipino, Ukrainian and Mexican citizens.
