Exactly six months ago, the Rubymar bulk carrier became the first ship sunk in a series of attacks by the Houthis protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023. On March 2, the Yemeni civil war opposition group sent the merchant ship and her cargo of oil and fertilizer to the bottom of the Bab el Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. There it still lurks, continuing to stoke fears of an environmental crisis when it eventually disintegrates.
Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have struck dozens more vessels, sinking at least one more. The Red Sea is becoming increasingly fraught with abandoned ships and damaged vessels continuing their journey, often trailing oil. Larger oil slicks visible through satellite imagery more than doubled in the region between 2023 and 2024, threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of local people who depend upon them.
The most recent significant Houthi-claimed strike was against the Greek-flagged Sounion oil tanker. Unidentified projectiles hit it on Aug. 21, forcing its Russian and Filipino crew to evacuate. Two days later, the Houthis detonated explosive charges on board the abandoned tanker, leaving almost 1 million barrels of crude oil adrift in a burning ship.
“The increasing number of incidents in the Red Sea is a direct result of the escalating tension gripping our region,” Julian Jreissati, program director for Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, told Mongabay. “As the situation in the Middle East grows increasingly volatile, the humanitarian and environmental crises unfolding in the region will only deepen.”