The Yemeni group has claimed to have shot down a US drone as well
The Belize-flagged merchant vessel Rubymar has suffered “catastrophic” damage and its crew has abandoned ship, a spokesman for the Yemeni military announced on Monday. According to Yahya Saree, the Houthi forces also downed a US Reaper drone over a Red Sea port.
The Houthis, which control the Yemeni capital, have been interdicting shipping related to Israel – and later the US and the UK as well – since late October, in protest over the Israeli military operation against the Palestinians in Gaza.
The Rubymar sailed under the flag of Belize, but its owner is registered as the UK-based Golden Adventure Shipping. It was carrying cargo from the UAE to Bulgaria. It was targeted with “a number of appropriate naval missiles,” Saree said in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter).
“The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt,” the Yemeni spokesman added. “As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of potential sinking in the Gulf of Aden. During the operation, we made sure that the ship’s crew exited safely.”
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, the Rubymar was “at anchor” some 35 nautical miles south of al-Mukha, in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
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