Aden (Al-Ittihad)
The International Development Organization in East Africa (IGAD) announced that the Red Sea environment will need more than 30 years to recover from the dire consequences resulting from the leakage of fuel and fertilizers that were on board the ship “Robimar,” which was targeted by the Houthi group on February 18.
IGAD expressed, in a statement, its deep concern about the environmental catastrophe looming in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, due to the shipwreck off the coast of Yemen.
The organization, which is a regional economic group working on development among the countries of East Africa, and whose permanent headquarters are in Djibouti, said that the ship “Rubimar” was carrying more than 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate fertilizer and fuel on board, which is equivalent to 200 tons of oil.
She noted that the fuel leak would destroy coral reefs and marine life, endanger hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry, in addition to cutting off food and fuel supplies to coastal countries.
She added, “The Red Sea environment will need more than 30 years to recover from the severe consequences resulting from the fuel leak.”
The organization warned of the disruption of one of the busiest maritime shipping lanes, affecting the smooth movement of goods and services through the Red Sea waterway.
The organization called on “all concerned parties to invest in peaceful options to address the looming environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”
IGAD stated that it continues to consider formulating its joint position and regional action plan towards this disaster with the aim of ensuring maritime safety and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Last February 18, the Houthi group announced that it had targeted the Rubymar in the Red Sea with several naval missiles, causing it to be seriously injured, while the Yemeni government later announced that the ship had sunk due to weather conditions and strong winds.
In a related context, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said that a ship that was traveling 50 nautical miles southeast of the city of Aden reported yesterday two explosions at sea that occurred in front of it, but reports monitored the safety of the ship and its crew.
The Houthi group has been launching drone and missile attacks on shipping traffic in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden since November.
The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said earlier that the authorities were investigating the incident, while Ambrey Maritime Security said that it was aware of an accident about 52 nautical miles south of Aden and that it was also investigating it.
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