The merchant ship Ruby lake, with the flag of Belize and registered in the United Kingdom, hit with missiles on 18 February by the Houthi militias while in the Gulf of Aden is causing serious environmental damage in the area. The vessel, which transports 40 thousand tons of fertilizersis anchored but continues to take on water and the trail of oil released into the sea now exceeds 28 kilometers. The 24 crew members abandoned the ship a few days ago, which is managed by an operator based in Lebanon. Insurance sources, taken from Reutersthey said they were unable to determine who had insured the shipwhich appears not to be covered by the market London marine insurance.
On Feb. 18 between 9:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., Iran-backed Houthi terrorists attacked the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier. The ship is anchored but slowly taking on water. The unprovoked and reckless attack by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists caused significant⦠pic.twitter.com/bU6j850wwG
â U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 24, 2024
The Houthis continue to ignore the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks”, writes the US central command (Centcom) which also announces of having destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles which the militias had planned to launch against targets in the Red Sea. “These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for the U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” Centcom writes.
On Friday, Yemen’s Houthis reiterated that the ships that are wholly or partially owned by Israeli individuals or entities and ships flying the Israeli flag are “banished” from the Red Sea, from the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The Houthis’ Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, an agency controlled by the group, sent a statement to marine insurers and companies operating in the region. Vessels owned by individuals are also prohibited or US or UK entities, or sailing under their flag, as in the case of Rubymar. The militias added that they intend “intensify operations in the Red Sea” also using “underwater weapons”.
The first attacks by Yemeni militias against ships believed to be linked to Israel began on November 19th and are causing a sharp drop in transits from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. On December 18, the United States and Great Britain launched a transit defense operation and struck several Houthi positions. However, so far, without obvious benefits regarding the improvement of traffic safety in the area which, in fact, continued to decrease, pushing ships to circumnavigate Africa with an increase in transport times and costs.
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