EMEA News
Bunker Fuel on Red Sea Wreck Poses Environmental Threat
The environmental threat from a wrecked bulk carrier in the Red Sea has been put under the spotlight by environmentalist publication Mongabay.
The ship, the Rubymar, was attacked earlier this year and has the dubious accolade of being the first commercial ship to be sunk by Houthi military forces. It sank on the Bab el Mandeb Strait.
"One of the Rubymar's five cargo holds was compromised during the February 18 attack, and likely released its contents into the water during the following weeks," the publication said.
"The four other holds, carrying most of a cargo estimated at around 22,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer, 200 mt of heavy fuel oil and 80 mt of marine diesel, are thought to remain intact underwater," the report added.
While the threat of an oil leak remains ever present, the bunker fuel could remain in the tanks for years.
The crude oil cargo of a tanker stranded off the Yemeni coast was eventually removed under a United Nations-led operation.
A salvage operation is underway for another Houthi-hit ship, Sounion, according to a recent EUNAVFOR ASPIDES social media post.
