SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi group have said late Saturday that it would allow the British ship Rubymar sunk in the Gulf of Aden to be salvaged in exchange for bringing relief aid into the Gaza Strip. 

“The sunken British ship could be towed in exchange for bringing relief trucks into Gaza,” Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the group's Supreme Political Council, said in a statement on X.

“This is an offer that can be considered,” he added.

Houthi's statement came a day after the Yemeni government called on countries around the world, organizations, and bodies concerned with preserving the marine environment to quickly deal with the crisis of the British ship Rubymar which was targeted by the Houthis on Feb. 18.

There was no comment from Britain or Israel regarding the statement.

The ship Rubymar was carrying large quantities of ammonia and oils, according to the official Saba Agency.

On Saturday, the Yemeni government said that the ship was heading toward the Yemeni Hanish Islands in the Red Sea, which threatens a “major environmental disaster.”

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday that “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,” it added.

The Yemeni Houthi group has been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

With tensions escalating due to joint strikes by the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen, the group declared that it considered all American and British ships legitimate military targets.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi