On February 19, 2024, Houthi rebels in Yemen struck the Rubymar - a Belize-flagged, UK-registered, and Lebanese-operated open-hatch general cargo ship - with ballistic missiles whilst it was operating in the Gulf of Aden. The ship sustained major damage, however the crew managed to anchor the ship before escaping unharmed. The ship remains abandoned south of the Hanish Islands, which is around 50km from the coast of Yemen.

The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported that an 18 mile oil slick had formed.

With the Rubymar filled with 41,000 tonnes of fertiliser (ammonia), as well as fuel, there has been speculation that if the vessel were to sink, that an environmental disaster could occur.

Yemen's internationally recognised government recently requested international assistance in preventing the release of the vessel's cargo.

Previously, on August 11, 2023, an international salvage operation in Yemen took place on the Safer - a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel anchored off the coast of Yemen - which was at risk of spilling over 1.1 million barrels of oil due to being in a state of disrepair; largely due to the Yemen civil war.

Will a salvage operation commence before April 12, 2024?

• Will resolve this Yes if:

  • any volume of fertiliser or fuel is removed from the Rubymar, or

  • the Rubymar is repaired so that it is no longer at risk of leaking any of its cargo.

• Will resolve No if:

  • no salvage operation commences;

  • the Rubymar sinks; or

  • the Rubymar leaks a significant amount of its cargo and credible reports state that an environmental disaster has occurred.

Will a salvage operation commence on the Rubymar vessel before April 1, 2024?