The United States confirmed on Sunday that the British-flagged, Belize-registered vessel RubyMar, which sank yesterday in the Red Sea after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels two weeks earlier, was carrying about 21,000 metric tons of ammonium sulfate fertilizer.
The Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a release that the drowned fertilizer, highly toxic, poses an environmental risk in the Red Sea. As the ship sinks, it also threatens other vessels navigating the busy routes through this vital waterway.
Leading a naval coalition to safeguard international trade in the Red Sea, the United States charged the Houthi movement, backed by Iran, with becoming an ever-growing menace to global maritime operations.
Yesterday, Yemen’s internationally recognized government described the sinking as an environmental catastrophe without precedent.
In a note posted on X, CENTCOM explained that the roughly 21,000 tons of ammonium phosphate fertilizer carried by the vessel represents an environmental risk in the Red Sea. They added that as the ship sinks, it also creates a surface-level impact risk for other ships passing the busy waterway.
The Houthis, supported by Iran, are presented by the United States and coalition partners as a greater threat to global maritime activities. The coalition remains committed to safeguarding freedom of navigation and improving the security of international waters for mercantile shipping.
Yemen’s government attributed the sinking to weather conditions and strong winds, accusing the international community of not doing enough to assist the Yemeni government in salvaging the vessel and unloading its cargo.
Since last November, Houthi fighters have attacked about fifty ships, causing varying degrees of damage; the RubyMar marks the first vessel to sink as a result of insurgent operations.
Authorities and Yemeni officials noted that the vessel’s registered nationality was Syrian and that the crew comprised 24 people: 11 Syrians, 6 Egyptians, 3 Indians, and 4 Filipinos, who were evacuated to Djibouti.
The Red Sea waters near Yemen nearly faced another environmental disaster due to the deterioration of the FSO Safer, a tanker stranded off Yemen since 1988. Its transfer operations involving more than 1.14 million barrels of oil concluded successfully in mid-2023.
Maritime life faces a severe threat from the large-scale release of fertilizer into the Red Sea. Ali Al-Sawalmih, director of the Jordan University Marine Science Station, stressed that such a fertilizer influx threatens marine biology. The nutrient overload can spark algal blooms that consume oxygen and disrupt normal marine life, a process known as eutrophication.
Countries around the Red Sea should urgently adopt a monitoring plan for polluted areas and implement a cleanup strategy. The overall impact depends on how ocean currents disperse the fertilizer and how the cargo is released from the sunken vessel, according to Xingchen Tony Wang, an assistant professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Boston College. The southern Red Sea ecosystem features pristine coral reefs, coastal mangroves, and a diverse marine community.
In this context, the Red Sea’s marine life faces a real risk as huge quantities of fertilizer enter the water. The situation calls for immediate regional collaboration to monitor contamination, prevent further ecological damage, and develop rapid response mechanisms for future incidents. The scientific community emphasizes that continued observation and transparent reporting are essential in understanding how such discharges influence nutrient balances, water quality, and ecosystem health over time.