Satellite Imagery Shows Oil Slick Trailing Behind Rubymar Before Sinking A British-owned cargo ship that was struck by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in February, sank in the Red Sea, early on March 2, after days of taking on water, US officials said. US Central Command (CENTCOM) had warned that the ship was slowly taking on water, and that it had left an 18-mile-long oil slick. On March 2, CENTCOM confirmed that Rubymar had sunk in the early hours of Saturday morning, adding that the 21,000 tons of fertilizer it was carrying “presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea.” The cargo ship was damaged in a missile attack in the Gulf of Aden on February 18, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility. The crew abandoned the ship, the UK government told the BBC. Satellite images sent to Storyful by Maxar show the ship partially submerged, with an oil slick trailing behind it on March 1. Credit: Maxar via Storyful