US calls damage from vessel struck by Houthis an 'environmental disaster'

The U.S. military called the damage to the U.K.-owned vessel carrying over 40,000 tons of fertilizer struck by Iran-backed Houthi rebels an “environmental disaster.”

Houthis attacked the cargo ship operated by Rubymar Monday night, causing “significant damage” to the vessel which prompted an 18-mile oil slick, according to the U.S. military. 

The ship's cargo, over 41,000 tons of fertilizer “could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday night in a statement. 

The Houthis have unleashed drone strikes and launched missiles on cargo ships in the Red Sea consistently in recent months. The campaign started in November as their way of pressuring Israel to halt its war against the militant group Hamas in Gaza.    

The Rubymar ship is currently anchored, but it is “slowly” taking on water, according to CENTCOM.

The Belize-flagged bulk carrier would soon be towed to Djibouti or Aden in Yemen, the ship's operator told The New York Times. The rest of the cargo will be transferred to Bulgaria. 

When the ship was hit on Monday, the crew issued a distress signal and abandoned the vessel, per CENTCOM. The 24-member crew was taken to Djibouti on a ship operated by a French shipping company, the head of Blue Fleet Group, ship’s operator, Roy Khoury told the Times. 

Since the Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea, a bloc of countries — including the U.S. and the U.K. — have used their militaries in the region to retaliate while intercepting incoming drones and missiles.