Houthi militants say they will continue sinking British ships

Yemen’s Iran-backed Al Houthi militants vowed yesterday to continue targeting British ships in the Gulf of Aden, following the sinking of UK-owned vessel Rubymar.

The US military confirmed on Saturday that Rubymar had sunk after being struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis on February 18.

“Yemen will continue to sink more British ships, and any repercussions or other damages will be added to Britain’s bill,” Hussain Al Ezzi, deputy foreign minister in the Houthi-led government, said in a post on X.

“It is a rogue state that attacks Yemen and partners with America in sponsoring ongoing crimes against civilians in Gaza.” Houthi militants have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping since mid-November.

Ecological damage

The sinking of the Rubymar, which carried a cargo of fertiliser and previously leaked fuel, the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of Houthis’ campaign over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could cause ecological damage to the Red Sea and its coral reefs.

Persistent Houthi attacks have already disrupted traffic in the crucial waterway for cargo and energy shipments moving from Asia and the Middle East to Europe.

The sinking could see further detours and higher insurance rates put on vessels plying the waterway — potentially driving up global inflation and affecting aid shipments to the region.

The US military’s Central Command said: “Approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertiliser the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea . ... As the ship sinks, it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”