As of: February 26, 2024, 12:03 p.m
By: Erkan Pehlivan
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Tensions in the Red Sea: The Houthi militias in Yemen continue their attacks on merchant ships - and risk an environmental catastrophe.
Sanaa - The coast off Yemen remains a focal point of tension.
The Houthi militias have again fired rockets at ships in the Red Sea.
The U.S. Military Regional Command said the tanker MV Torm Thor, which sails under the U.S. flag, was believed to be the target.
However, the bullet landed in the water and caused no damage.
The Houthi militias also fired rockets at the freighter Rubymar, which was loaded with 41,000 tons of flammable fertilizer, in the Gulf of Aden.
This could lead to an environmental disaster in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command for the Middle East (Centcom) reported that although the ship is at anchor, it is slowly filling with water and has already formed an oil slick about 29 kilometers long.
The fertilizer on board is leaking into the sea and “could worsen the environmental disaster,” Centcom said.
Ship off the coast of Yemen could sink at any time after a Houthi attack
Blue Fleet, the operator of the Belize-flagged ship, told AFP that the Rubymar was not currently in danger of sinking, but that there was "always the possibility."
The ship should be towed to Djibouti as quickly as possible.
The damage to the Rubymar is the worst inflicted on a merchant ship since Houthi attacks on freighters in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden began in November.
imago0397097231h.jpgIn January, the “Marlin Luanda” was hit by a Houthi militia missile in the Gulf of Aden.
© IMAGO
The US military had already intercepted two drones in the southern Red Sea on Saturday evening in order to protect itself.
A third floor fell of its own accord.
According to the US military, the drones pose a direct threat to merchant ships and US Navy vessels in the region. Such military operations are intended to ensure freedom of navigation and make international waters safer, according to the regional command.
USA and Great Britain attack positions of Houthi rebels
The USA and Great Britain have again bombed positions of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The attacks targeted 18 Houthi targets in eight different locations, US forces said.
Iran condemned the attacks and warned of “escalation.”
The targets of the attacks included underground weapons depots, missile storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems and a helicopter.
The aim was to weaken the militia's ability to continue its attacks on merchant ships in the region.
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The Houthis claim to be acting in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and want to force an end to Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip by firing on merchant ships.
These attacks followed Hamas's bloody attack on Israel on October 7.
The sea route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal is one of the most important trade routes in the world, normally carrying twelve percent of global maritime trade.
Due to attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding this shortest sea route between Asia and Europe.
Our employee Erkan Pehlivan wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.