New images emerged this week of a British cargo ship that was attacked over the weekend by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists, who are based in Yemen, and is now on the verge of sinking.
The attack happened late on Sunday evening local time as the M/V Rubymar was traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
BBC Verify confirmed that two new images of the ship showing the rear of the ship underwater were authentic. The report noted that claims that the ship had already sunk were false.
Blue Fleet Group, which owns the ship, said that one of the missiles that struck the ship hit the side of the ship near its engine room.
Bulker #Rubymar with a flooded engine room and well down by the stern. She must be in a nearly empty condition to have sufficient buoyancy to remain afloat. https://t.co/WzIFRTlel1 pic.twitter.com/JQzZC4LJrL
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️ (@mercoglianos) February 21, 2024
The ship’s owners said that the ship was being towed to Djibouti, but could still sink given the level of damage. The ship’s crew was forced to abandon the vessel.
“Between 9:30 and 10:45 p.m., Feb. 18, two anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen toward MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement earlier this week. “One of the missiles struck the vessel, causing damage. The ship issued a distress call, and a coalition warship, along with another merchant vessel, responded to the call to assist the crew of the MV Rubymar. The crew was transported to a nearby port by the merchant vessel.”
If the ship sinks, it would be the first time that the Houthis have sunk a cargo ship during their current campaign of Islamic terrorism in the region.
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The Houthis attacked a U.S.-owned ship this week, the M/V Sea Champion, that was bringing humanitarian aid to Yemen, specifically grain.
“Houthi aggression in the region has exacerbated already high levels of need in conflict-impacted Yemen, which remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, with nearly 80 percent of the entire population needing humanitarian assistance,” CENTCOM said in a separate statement. “We are committed to countering the Houthis’ malign activities, which directly endanger the imports of foodstuff and humanitarian aid to Yemen.”
