Houthi rebels continued their targeting of commercial ships in the Red Sea region this week, as a British registered, Belize flagged, bulk cargo vessel was struck by a missile before the crew had to abandon ship.
The vessel ‘Rubymar’ is understood to have been taking on water since the missile strike in the Gulf Of Aden, with a Houth spokesperson claiming that the vessel is close to sinking. However, the Houthi claims are as yet unconfirmed.
The UK government and US military have confirmed the vessel was damaged before the crew of 24 were rescued by the container ship ‘Lobivia’, reporting that the crew are safe and the ship is at anchor.
The rebel attack, which happened on Sunday night, is perhaps the most significant incident in the Red Sea since the conflict began, as no previous attacks have resulted in the crew needing to abandon ship.
Further reports of attacks on vessels suggest that the crisis is set to continue, despite US & UK airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Another incident was reported by Greek officials in the Red Sea, which stated that a Greek flagged vessel suffered two seperate missile attacks on Monday, meanwhile the Houthi’s have claimed they attacked two US-owned cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden.
As things stand, any changes to the current steamship line policy of directing vessels around the Cape Of Good Hope, seem a long way off.
