The crew of a UK-owned commercial ship in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel following a Houthi attack late Feb. 18, the first such evacuation since the militant group began menacing trade in the waterway late last year, according to Bloomberg. No injuries were reported and the crew was evacuated to Djibouti.
The ship, the Rubymar, is a relatively small cargo ship and was believed to be carrying phosphates from Saudi Arabia to Varna, Bulgaria. As of Feb. 21, Blue Fleet Group, which operates the vessel for owner Golden Adventure Shipping SA, told Bloomberg it was working with a salvage company to tow the vessel to Djibouti.
The vessel was hit by two rockets, one on the deck and one on the side of the ship between the hold and the engine room. While the ship did not sink, its engine room and fifth hold were underwater, while holds 1-4 were above water. The vessel was stable, awaiting a tugboat to be towed to Djibouti.