Yemen’s Environmental Chief to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Urge Swift Action for Sinking 'Rubymar'

A satellite image of the British ship targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea (AFP)
A satellite image of the British ship targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea (AFP)
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Yemen’s Environmental Chief to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Urge Swift Action for Sinking 'Rubymar'

A satellite image of the British ship targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea (AFP)
A satellite image of the British ship targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea (AFP)

With limited resources, the Yemeni government is racing against time to tackle an environmental crisis caused by the sinking of the UK-registered ship “Rubymar” in the Red Sea.

The sinking of the Rubymar, which carried a cargo of fertilizer and oils and previously leaked fuel, could cause ecological damage to the Red Sea and its coral reefs, according to the head of Yemen’s General Authority for Environmental Protection, Faisal Al-Thalabi.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yemen’s environmental chief revealed that the sunken ship “holds 200 tons of diesel and 80 tons of mazut (fuel oil), both highly dangerous.”

“These substances will seriously harm the Red Sea's unique wildlife and pollute nearby shores and islands,” warned Al-Thalabi.

“The attack on the ship by the Iran-backed Houthi group caused its sinking, complicating rescue efforts,” he added.

The Belize-flagged Rubymar had been drifting northward after being struck by a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18 in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Al-Thalabi cautioned that the environmental damage from the sunken ship will spread to both surface and nearby groundwater wells near the pollution sites.

Desalination plants, which rely on seawater for drinking water in islands or nearby areas, will also be affected.

Al-Thalabi explained that besides fuel leakage, the marine environment will also be contaminated by phosphate and sulfur fertilizers reacting with seawater.

This reaction releases sulfur and phosphorus ions, reducing oxygen levels and harming marine biodiversity.

Al-Thalabi pointed out that sea pollution will fuel algae growth, depleting oxygen and blocking sunlight for marine life.

He emphasized that these substances, leaking into the seas or sewage systems, harm both the environment and human health.

Government Action

Regarding what actions the government can take with limited resources, Al-Thalabi noted the government recently forming a crisis team, which has taken various measures.

The measures include tracking the ship’s owner and flag state and urging its retrieval.

“Unfortunately, these calls haven’t received responses yet,” said Al-Thalabi.

“Simultaneously, the state has taken urgent steps. A team was sent to inspect the ship, and a contract was made with a specialized company for its salvage,” he added.

According to Al-Thalabi, meetings were held with relief organizations, the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, and others.

“An appeal was made, highlighting the urgent need for assistance in finding solutions to the challenging situation,” he explained.

The Yemeni official stressed that while the government’s crisis cell is always active, the urgency for immediate solutions has intensified following the ship’s sinking.

Regarding the immediate response to the sinking, Al-Thalabi explained that authorities have enacted a plan, including worst-case scenarios, monitoring coastal areas with the Maritime Affairs Authority cooperating with various groups.

Regarding the possibility of the ship’s hull breaking, causing the sinking, Al-Thalabi suggested this might be a factor due to possible damage from the Houthi missile strike.

However, confirmation requires specialized teams to assess the seabed, which has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions, clarified Al-Thalabi.

He mentioned that a team from the Maritime Affairs Authority, tasked with combating marine pollution, went to the Port of Mokha. After their mission, the crisis cell will have full information in the coming two days.

Urgent Call to Action

With growing concerns about the disastrous environmental impact of the shipwreck, Yemen’s Prime Minister has urged swift international action to address the situation.

During a meeting with US Ambassador Steven Fagin in Riyadh, Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak warned of a major environmental catastrophe caused by the sinking of the ship.

The premier emphasized the need for international cooperation, urging the formation of an emergency team to rescue the Red Sea and tackle the environmental crisis.



Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

Israel’s military ordered the evacuation Saturday of a crowded part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, including parts of Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp where thousands are seeking refuge.

The order comes in response to rocket fire that Israel says originates from the area. It's the second evacuation issued in a week in an area designated for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza. Many Palestinians have been uprooted multiple times in search of safety during Israel's punishing air and ground campaign.

On Monday, after the evacuation order, multiple Israeli airstrikes hit around Khan Younis, killing at least 70 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, citing figures from Nasser Hospital.

The area is part of a 60-square-kilometer (roughly 20-square-mile) “humanitarian zone” to which Israel has been telling Palestinians to flee to throughout the war. Much of the area is blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid, United Nations and humanitarian groups say. About 1.8 million Palestinians are sheltering there, according to Israel's estimates. That's more than half Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The UN estimated in February that some 17,000 children in the territory are now unaccompanied, and the number is likely to have grown since.

The war began with an assault by Hamas fighters on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 115 are still in Gaza, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.