The vessel was carrying about 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer, which now “presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea,” CENTCOM said.
On February 19, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the movement forces had attacked the UK-owned Rubymar cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. Sky News Arabia reported, citing sources, that the vessel had sunk.
Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led the United States to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. Forces of the US and the United Kingdom later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.