Iran-backed Houthi militants attacked and significantly damaged the cargo ship Rubymar in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, forcing its crew to evacuate.
This incident marks the latest in a series of attacks that have heightened tensions and disrupted vital trade routes through the Red Sea. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported the attack on X, confirming that the crew were all safe and that they had abandoned the vessel.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e claimed responsibility for the assault, labeling the Rubymar, which is registered under the Belize flag, as a British vessel. The ship’s operators are from Lebanon and is owned by Golden Adventure Shipping, with an address in the British port of Southampton.
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Despite Houthi claims of targeting ships from specific nations, attacks have reportedly been indiscriminate, affecting various international vessels. At the time of the attack, the Rubymar was navigating from Ras al-Khair, Saudi Arabia, to Varna, Bulgaria.
“The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt,” Sare’e said. “As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of potential sinking in the Gulf of Aden. During the operation, we made sure that the ship’s crew exited safely.”
The Djibouti Port Authority is coordinating the repatriation of the ship’s crew after they were picked up by a passing vessel. Rubymar had 24 crew members in total, 11 Syrians, six Egyptians, four Filipinos, and three Indians.
LSS Sapu, the ship’s security firm, and data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence confirmed that Rubymar had sustained damage and was hit by two missiles. Maritime experts from Ambrey Analytics have monitored the situation, noting that the ship remains afloat and briefly altered its speed and course following the incident.
Swarm Attacks
US forces, after carrying out five strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday, spotted for the first time since the Houthi attacks began an unmanned underwater vessel (UUV) or submarine drone, along with an unmanned surface vessel (USV).
BBC’s Frank Gardner says that the Houthis’ deployment of these two drones is worrying. These drones are used for swarm attacks, or when several relatively cheap missiles and drones are fired at an enemy at the same to attempt to confuse and overwhelm their defenses, and it is “straight out of the playbook of the navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.”
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