UK Owned Ship Abandoned After Houthi Attack

An attack on a UK registered cargo vessel this week has perhaps been the most damaging of the Houthi rebel campaign, as the crew were forced to abandon ship.

The bulk cargo ship ‘Rubymar’ was transiting the Gulf Of Aden, around 60 km south of Yemen's port of Mocha, when the missile struck on Sunday night. According to unconfirmed and conflicting Houthi reports, the vessel has since sunk or is sinking.

While military reports suggest the vessel was taking on water when the crew of 24 were rescued, there is nothing official to collaborate the Houthi claims.

Carriers have been directing vessels around the Cape Of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal and Red Sea route, which usually accounts for 12% of global shipping trade, due to the ongoing Houthi attacks.

There looks to be no let up in the longer transits, as despite British and US air strikes on targets around the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, attacks on commercial shipping are showing no signs of stopping in the near future.

Other recent ship attacks include a Greek flagged bulk carrier being attacked twice in the Red Sea on Monday, and if Houthi claims are to be believed, two more attacks on US owned cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden, namely the vessels ‘Sea Champion’ and ‘Navis Fortuna’.

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