March 3, 2024 (EIRNS)—The MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier which was struck by a Houthi missile on Feb. 18, sank in the Red Sea yesterday. “The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea,” US Central Command said in a statement. “As the ship sinks it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.”
AP notes that many ships have turned away from the route. “The sinking could see further detours and higher insurance rates put on vessels plying the waterway—potentially driving up global inflation and affecting aid shipments to the region,” it said.
