Democracy Dies in Darkness

Fears of environmental disaster rise as ship sinks after Houthi attack

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Updated March 30, 2024 at 10:25 a.m. EDT|Published March 3, 2024 at 9:18 a.m. EST
The Rubymar sinks in the Red Sea. (U.S. Central Command/AP)
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correction

A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the type of missile that struck the Rubymar. It was an anti-ship ballistic missile. The article has been corrected.

A cargo ship sank in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi militants, taking about 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer down with it, posing a significant environmental risk to one of the world’s busiest waterways and the home of many coral reefs.

The Rubymar was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis on Feb. 18 and sank early Saturday after “slowly taking on water” since the attack, U.S. Central Command said on social media early Sunday local time.