The sinking of the cargo ship Rubymar off the coast of Yemen illustrates the continued impunity of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group to attack ships. The Rubymar, a British-registered cargo ship that was carrying fertilizer, was hit by a Houthi missile on February 18.The Houthis began their attacks in October, ostensibly supporting the Palestinian cause.
In November, they hijacked the Galaxy Leader. The crew of the Rubymar was forced to abandon the ship, which slowly took on water for two weeks before sinking. The fate of the ship shows the inability of the international community to enforce basic norms of a rules-based world order. Even though the US and the UK have retaliated with airstrikes, the Houthis continue to carry out attacks.The sinking of the Rubymar strikes another cord of concern for the international community: the environmental damage due to the cargo of the ship.
Environmental damage caused by the sinking
Countries appear incapable of protecting shipping or even preventing a ship from slowly sinking. This illustrates how a narrowly tailored campaign of airstrikes isn’t enough, or perhaps it isn’t the right response.
When and if ships are struck by missiles, the response has to be better thought out. Letting them slowly sink is not a good solution. This one sank slowly, having already taken on water in February, “being towed to nearby Djibouti but could yet sink,” the BBC reported.Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak has said the ship’s sinking was an “unprecedented environmental disaster,” the report said.That it took two weeks for the ship to sink, as the international community mostly looked on with a shrug, illustrates how the Hamas attack on October 7 has become a major symbol of a shift in international relations.Many countries, such as Russia, China, Iran, and Qatar, the hosts of Hamas in Doha, all seem not to mind that the Houthis attack shipping with impunity. The ability of the US and the UK to get more partners to oppose the Houthis is therefore curtailed.Many countries are linked to Iran, Russia, and China via regional groups such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization). Most of these countries accept that the Houthis will fire missiles at ships.Perhaps a new world order is emerging – one of chaos and impunity for certain groups, such as the Houthis. They are being used as a tool, not only by Iran but by other countries that oppose the US and the West.These countries don’t mind seeing a few ships sink if the main goal is overthrowing decades of US power and hegemony.