The Rubymar, a Belize-flagged and British-registered cargo ship operated by Lebanon’s Blue Fleet Group, was subjected to a missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels while carrying combustible fertilizer. Despite sustaining significant damage in the Gulf of Aden, the vessel did not sink. The attack, which occurred on Sunday, involved one missile compromising the ship’s side, allowing water into the engine room and causing the stern to lower. A second missile targeted the deck but did not cause major damage, according to Blue Fleet CEO Roy Khoury.
Following the assault, the ship’s 24-person crew, consisting of nationals from Syria, Egypt, India, and the Philippines, was evacuated to Djibouti. Khoury shared that the Rubymar, still afloat with its stern submerged, was leaking fuel oil but there was no immediate risk of sinking. Efforts to tow the ship to Djibouti were in progress, with a tugboat expected to arrive within days.
This incident has been marked as the most severe damage inflicted on a commercial vessel by the Houthis since they began targeting ships last November, purportedly in solidarity with Palestinians. The attack has heightened concerns over maritime safety in the region, leading some shipping companies to reroute around southern Africa to bypass the Red Sea, which accounts for approximately 12% of global maritime trade. The United Nations has reported a significant decline in traffic through the Suez Canal, underscoring the broader implications of such disruptions on international trade.
