Yemeni separatists' attack risks ecological disaster in Red Sea
In addition to the sunk fertilizers, significant quantities of fuel have also leaked from the ship. The TankerTrackers website has stated that this will cause "an ecological disaster on Yemeni territorial waters and in the Red Sea".
The Rubymar was hit by a Houthi missile on 18 February, resulting in an oil slick over 40 kilometres long on the Red Sea waters. The crew was saved, but their fate was unknown for several days. On Saturday, the internationally recognized government of Yemen announced that the ship had sunk.
Conditions favour disaster
Ian Ralby, founder of the company I.R. Consilium, which specializes in maritime security, claims that the unique natural features of the Red Sea, where in winter the water moves northward towards the Suez Canal, and in summer outward to the Gulf of Aden, will contribute to the potential disaster. - As a result, whatever spills into the Red Sea stays in the Red Sea - Ralby told the AP agency.
For decades, Saudi Arabia has been desalinating seawater drawn from the Red Sea. Nearly all the drinking water in many cities comes precisely from desalination installations. The spilled fuel can clog devices and cause them to fail.
Risk of "dead zones"
The Red Sea is also an important source of seafood, especially in Yemen, where before the current civil war between the Iran-supported Houthi rebels and the Sunni government, fishing was the second-largest export industry after oil.
Although the amount of oil that leaked from the Rubymar is not known, Ralby estimates it could not have exceeded 7,000 barrels. That's more than was spilled four years ago from the ship Wakashio, which crashed near Mauritius, causing multimillion-pound damages and worsening living conditions for thousands of fishermen.
No one has yet estimated the risk associated with the sunken fertilisers, a total of 20,000 tonnes, but the worst-case scenario would be their sudden release into the water. Fertilisers fuel algae blooms, which result in oxygen loss and the creation of so-called "dead zones". Therefore, some of the most colourful and extensive coral reefs in the world, intensely studied by scientists due to their resilience to rising water temperatures, could be at risk.
Houthis stand with Palestine
Since November of last year, the Houthis have been conducting attacks on commercial ships, which they claim are linked with Israel, the USA, and Great Britain. The Houthis assert they act in solidarity with the terrorist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In response to the attacks, the United States formed multinational forces in December to protect maritime traffic on the strategic waterway.
