British freighter ‘Rubymar’ Sinks after being hit by Houthi missile, forcing crew to abandon ship – The Sun
A British cargo ship has sunk in the Red Sea after being attacked by Iran-backed Houthis.
The Rubymar freighter was believed to be heading north from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates to Varna, Bulgaria. when it was bombed.
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The ship’s crew was forced to “abandon ship” after being attacked off the country’s coast Yemen.
Shortly after the attack, which took place two weeks ago, a statement from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said: “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 35 nautical miles south of Al Mukha, Yemen.
‘Military authorities report that the crew has abandoned ship.
“Military authorities are on site to assist.
“Vessels are advised to navigate with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
Houthi Military spokesman Yahya Saree issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, saying the ship was hit by “capable missiles” and was at risk of sinking.
He added: “The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a specific military operation, attacking the British ship RUBYMAR with a number of appropriate naval missiles.
“As a result of the extensive damage the ship has suffered, it is now at risk of sinking.”
The Yemen-based terror organization also claimed to have downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over al-Hudaydah within a day of the attack on the cargo ship.
A spokesman for the group said: “Our air defenses were able, with God’s help, to down an American aircraft (MQ9) with a suitable missile while it was conducting hostile missions against our country on behalf of the enemy entity.”
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have carried out repeated attacks on international commercial shipping in the Red Sea since mid-November, allegedly in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Several shipping companies have been forced to divert their ships transiting the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to a longer alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Such changes have led to major delays and have had consequences for companies, among others Suzuki, Tesla, BP, Shell, Qatar Energy,DHL, FedExAdidas, Marks & Spencer, Next one, Primark, Sainsbury’sAnd Goal.
And the price of global shipping containers rose more than 300 percent between November and January.
Britain and the US have launched joint airstrikes against the Houthis in recent weeks in an attempt to stop their attacks on shipping.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have been terrorizing the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on ships and warships – but who are they?
The Shiite militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, was largely ignored by the world for more than a decade.
However, since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Gaza, they have disappeared from relative obscurity accounting for around £1 trillion in global trade held hostage – making it one of the busiest in the world shipping routes to an active war zone.
Their twisted slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews and Victory for Islam.”
Why do they attack ships?
The rebel group has launched brutal drone and missile attacks on all ships – including warships – they believe are linked to Israel, in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
In reality, however, there have been frequent attacks on commercial ships with little or no connection to Israel, forcing global maritime traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
The naval attacks have threatened to unleash a full-blown war in the Middle East, while the intense ripples of Israel’s war in Gaza are being felt across the region – with Iran suspected of fomenting the chaos.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased by 50 percent between November and December as the rebel group’s leaders vowed that their attacks would continue until Israel halted its offensive in Gaza.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint attacks from the US and Britain destroying their strongholds in Yemen, Iran’s terror representative appears undeterred.