UK cargo ship ‘Rubymar’ sinks after being hit by Houthi missile forcing crew to abandon vessel

A British cargo ship has sunk in the Red Sea after being attacked by Iran-backed Houthis.

A British cargo ship has sunk in the Red Sea after being attacked by Iran-backed Houthis.

The Rubymar cargo ship was supposedly heading north, from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates to Varna, Bulgaria, when it was bombarded.

The crew of the ship was forced to “abandon the vessel” after coming under attack off the coast of Yemen.

Soon 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 35NM south of Al Mukha, Yemen.

“Military authorities report crew have abandoned the vessel.

“Military authorities are on scene assisting.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

Brit-registered cargo ship Rubymar (pictured) sank in the Red Sea. Picture EPA

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree issued a statement claiming the attack, saying the vessel was hit with “appropriate missiles” and was at risk of potentially sinking.

He added: “The Naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a specific military operation, targeting the British ship RUBYMAR with a number of appropriate naval missiles.

“As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of potential sinking.”

The cargo ship was attacked by missiles two weeks ago. Picture: Maxar Technologies/AFP

The crew of the ship was forced to abandon the vessel. Picture: Maxar Technologies/AFP

The Yemen-based terror outfit also claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over al-Hudaydah within a day of the attack on the cargo ship.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Our air defences were able, with God’s help, to shoot down an American plane (MQ9) with a suitable missile while it was carrying out hostile missions against our country on behalf of the enemy entity.”

The Houthis claimed responsibility for blasting the ship.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched repeated strikes on international commercial shipping in the Red Sea since mid-November, purportedly in solidarity with Palestinians.

Several shipping companies have been forced to reroute their vessels passing through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to take a longer alternative route around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

Such changes have resulted in major delays and impacted companies including Suzuki, Tesla, BP, Shell, Qatar Energy, DHL, FedEx, Adidas, Marks & Spencer, Next, Primark, Sainsbury’s, and Target.

And the price of global shipping containers has jumped by more than 300 per cent between November and January.

The UK and the US have been carrying out joint air strikes against the Houthis in recent weeks to try and stop their attacks on shipping.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission