US Central Command has reported that on 2 March at approximately 2:15 am., the m/v Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist anti-ship ballistic missile on 18 February.
The 1997-built, 32 211 DWT vessel, originally built in Japan, was carrying a 21 000 t cargo of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertiliser at the time of the strike, which initially flooded the engine room. The 24-man crew were subsequently evacuated but the waters around the vessels location were deemed too dangerous to send salvage personnel.
The ship had been slowly taking on water since the attack.
US Central Command has identified that the approximately 21 000 t of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea. As the ship sinks it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway.
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