Rubymar, cargo ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthis, sinks in Red Sea

The Rubymar cargo ship, attacked last month, has sunk in the southern Red Sea, Yemen’s internationally recognized government said in a statement on Saturday.

If verified, it would be the first vessel lost since Houthi militants began targeting commercial shipping in November.

The government statement said the ship sunk on Friday night and warned of an “environmental catastrophe.”

The ship was carrying more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it came under attack, the US military’s Central Command previously said.

Yemen’s Houthi militants have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea region since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

On Monday, a Yemeni government team visited the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned cargo ship, and said it was partially submerged and could sink within a couple of days.

The US military previously said the attack had significantly damaged the freighter and caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick.

The United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the sinking on Saturday.