American officials confirmed that "the targeting of a ship by the Houthis with a ballistic missile on Monday resulted in an oil spill in the Red Sea stretching 18 miles." The vessel "Ruby Mar," owned by Lebanese nationals and flying the Belize flag, was registered in the UK and was carrying 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was hit by one of two ballistic missiles launched from Houthi territory in Yemen. The damage inflicted on the ship is likely to be the most significant in the Houthi attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for months. It remains unclear what type of substance is causing the spill.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated: "The ship sent a distress signal after the attack, and it was assisted by a warship from the international coalition and another commercial vessel, which transported the crew to a nearby port." This seems to be the first instance where a crew was forced to evacuate a ship after it was bombarded by the Houthis, as many other vessels hit by Houthi missiles have continued their journeys. CENTCOM described the Houthi attack as "unjustified and reckless," adding that it "caused significant damage to the ship, resulting in an oil spill 18 miles long, which was carrying over 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, potentially leaking into the Red Sea and exacerbating the environmental disaster." It continued: "The Houthis continue to show disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening fishing, coastal communities, and food supply imports."
On Monday, the Houthis also struck a US-owned cargo ship carrying grain to Yemen, which flies the Greek flag. CENTCOM's statement regarding the attack noted that the ship "has provided humanitarian aid to Yemen 11 times in the past five years." It was mentioned: "They claim they are launching these attacks against ships associated with Israel, but these ships are literally transporting goods, services, and aid to their people, and they are creating an international problem." Houthi attacks have continued for months, despite several rounds of strikes by the US and the UK on their capabilities.
