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MV Rubymar

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MV Rubymar
Oil spill left by the ship
History
Name
  • Rubymar
  • Ikaria Island (2020)
  • Chatham Island (2009)
  • Ken Shin (2007)
OwnerGolden Adventure Shipping S.A.
Port of registry Belize
Completed1997
Identification
FateStruck by Houthi anti-ship missile
General characteristics
Class and typeBulk carrier
Tonnage19,420 GT
Length171 m (561 ft 0 in)
Beam27 m (88 ft 7 in)
Crew24

The MV Rubymar was a Belize-flagged Handymax-size bulk carrier cargo ship completed in 1997. In February 2024, the cargo ship was struck by a Houthi anti-ship missile during the Red Sea crisis while carrying a cargo of fertilizer. After being adrift for weeks, on 2 March, the ship sank as a result of the strike, becoming the first vessel destroyed by a Houthi attack during the crisis.

Characteristics

Rubymar was a Belize-flagged cargo ship, managed by the Lebanese GMZ Ship Management Company S.A. for the United Kingdom subsidiary of Golden Adventure Shipping S.A.[1] it was built in 1997.

Rubymar was a Handymax-size bulk carrier cargo ship with a tonnage of 19,420 GT and a deadweight of 32,211 DWT. It was 171 meters long and 27 meters wide, with a draft of 10.4 meters. It was equipped with a Mitsubishi engine plant that supplies 7,059 KW of power.[2][3]

History

The ship was built in 1997 by the Onomichi dockyard in Kobe, Japan. It was called Ken Shin in 1997, Chatham Island in 2009, and Ikaria Island in 2020, before being renamed Rubymar.[2] In 2022, it took part in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, carrying 35,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine to Egypt during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4]

Red Sea attack

Rubymar was transiting through the Red Sea in February 2024, transporting a cargo of fertilizer from the United Arab Emirates to Belarus. United States Central Command announced that on 18 February, Houthi forces launched two anti-ship missiles at the ship, one of which struck it and caused severe damage. A container ship, the Singapore-flagged Lobivia, and an Operation Prosperity Guardian warship responded to the incident. Lobivia evacuated all 24 crewmembers of Rubymar and took them safely to Djibouti.[5][6]

The ship was abandoned in the vicinity of the Bab-el-Mandeb following the attack, but did not fully sink.[7] It began to drift northward, and by 26 February had moved more than 70 kilometres while not under command.[8] In the aftermath of the missile strike, a 29 kilometer long oil slick developed, with continuing oil spillage contributing to what Central Command called an environmental disaster.[9] Furthermore, the cargo of fertilizer could contribute to further damage by causing an algal bloom in the coastal regions near the ship.[10]

Salvage and towing operations were stymied by political barriers in the weeks following the attack. While the United States Navy offered to help tow Rubymar,[8] the nearest port of Djibouti refused to accept the ship because of the risk of explosion from its cargo of fertilizer.[10] Houthi leader Mohammed al-Houthi stated that the group would only allow the ship to be towed if humanitarian aid was supplied to Gaza.[11] By 28 February, the ship was still adrift and waiting to be towed into port, possibly in Saudi Arabia or Yemen.[12]

On 2 March 2024, the Yemeni government reported that Rubymar sank in the Red Sea.[13][14] The ship is the first to be sunk by Houthi forces since the start of their attacks in the Red Sea.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Bulk carrier reported abandoned at Bab-al-Mandab after Houthi missile attack". Insurance Marine News. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  2. ^ a b "RUBYMAR, Bulk carrier". Baltic Shipping. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  3. ^ "RUBYMAR - Dry bulk / Handysize / General cargo - IMO 9138898". Maritime Optima. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  4. ^ "Four ships to transport food from Ukraine to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Netherlands". interfax.com. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  5. ^ Moniglio, Heather (20 February 2024). "British-Owned Cargo Ship Damaged by Houthi Missiles, Crew Evacuated". USNI News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  6. ^ Cecil, Nicholas (2024-02-20). "Crew evacuated from UK ship 'taking in water' 36 hours after Houthi attack in Red Sea". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  7. ^ Westfall, Sammy (2024-02-20). "Cargo ship crew forced to evacuate after Houthi missile attack off Yemen". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  8. ^ a b Parker, Adam (27 February 2024). "Ship sinking in Red Sea after Houthi attack drifts north - as US Navy offer help". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  9. ^ Gupta, Gaya; Kim, Victoria (23 February 2024). "U.S. Warns of Environmental Damage if Vessel Struck by Houthis Sinks". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b Tollast, Robert (2024-02-28). "Houthi attacks jeopardise recovery of stricken Red Sea cargo ship". The National. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  11. ^ Dixon, Gary (2024-02-27). "Houthis link Rubymar salvage to Gaza aid as stricken vessel leaks fuel". TradeWinds. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  12. ^ Iordache, Ruxandra (2024-02-28). "Abandoned at sea, Houthi-damaged ship awaits towing to Saudi Arabia amid oil slick concerns". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  13. ^ "Rubymar cargo ship attacked by Houthis has sunk, Yemeni government says". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  14. ^ "Jemen meldt dat beschoten vrachtschip Rubymar is gezonken". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). 2 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Cargo ship Rubymar sinks in Red Sea after attack by Houthis". The National. 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
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