Is it time to shut down the shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba for oil tankers, fertilizer, and other dangerous cargo that risk ecological catastrophes?
The Red Sea links Europe through Africa and the Middle East, with Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen bordering the sea. The coastal areas eat fish.
Yemen's Houthi rebels were able to strike a massive cargo ship carrying fertilizer to port, according to Centcom. The wounded ship has left an eighteen-long mile oil slick. The boat is slowly sinking, risking a dead zone in the Red Sea.
Just a quick note: The Red Sea is home to the only coral reef (2,500 miles long) that is resilient to climate change. Seventy to ninety percent of the globe's corals will be lost once the world reaches and stays above 1.5 Celsius. We have reached that point over the past twelve months. The oceans are too hot, and the mind-boggling rate of temperature increase has not slowed down. Here, sapiens are killing the remainder of viable reefs with fertilizer. It makes me want to scream into the abyss.
THIS CORAL REEF IS SUPER RESILIENT. HERE'S THE PLAN TO SAVE IT:
Rapid ocean warming due to climate change is predicted to decimate 70 to 90% of the world’s coral reefs by mid-century, cite the researchers in their appeal to UNESCO to declare the Red Sea’s 2,500 miles of coral reef as a Marine World Heritage Site. They also recommend additional measures critical to the reef’s survival in their paper, which appears in Frontiers in Marine Science.
Corals in the Gulf of Aqaba, at the northernmost portion of the Red Sea, withstand water temperature irregularities that cause severe bleaching or mortality in most hard corals elsewhere. This uniquely resilient reef employs biological mechanisms that are likely to be important for coral survival as the planet’s oceans warm. But while the Gulf of Aqaba could potentially be one of the planet’s largest marine refuges from climate change, its reef will only survive and flourish if serious regional environmental challenges are addressed.
From Centcom's Twitter account:
On Feb. 18 between 9:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., Iran-backed Houthi terrorists attacked the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier. The ship is anchored but slowly taking on water. The unprovoked and reckless attack by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists caused significant damage to the ship, which caused an 18-mile oil slick. The M/V Rubymar was transporting over 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster. The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fishing industry, coastal communities, and imports of food supplies.
While the crew of 24 has been safely evacuated, the cargo of fertilizer "could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster," it said.
The attack has heightened concerns for the Red Sea's unique coral reefs, which scientists have found to be so far resilient to climate change but at risk from other threats.
"The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fishing industry, coastal communities, and imports of food supplies," according to the statement.
While the Rubymar dropped anchor after the missile hit, its operator, Athens' Blue Fleet Group, says the vessel is partly submerged and its engine room is flooded. Recovery operations have begun to tow the stricken ship to the nearby port of either Djibouti or Aden.