Fact Check: Does Video Show Houthis Sinking Cargo Ship in Red Sea?

Weeks of clashes in the Red Sea between Yemeni Houthi rebels, cargo ships, and Western defensive forces continue to disrupt global supply chains and threaten stability in the Middle East surrounding Israel and its conflict in Gaza.

Despite the U.S. and its allies launching airstrikes against Houthi rebels, attacks against ships crossing the Red Sea have persevered, with the crew of one British-registered vessel, the Rubymar, forced to abandon ship after it was hit by missiles on Sunday.

As Houthis claim that the Rubymar is at risk of sinking, videos were shared on social media said to show the cargo ship foundering.

The Claim

Multiple posts on X, formerly Twitter, posted on February 19, 2024, shared the same footage of a container ship sinking, claiming it was the Rubymar.

A post by @Trollstoy88, viewed 165,400 times, said: "The British bulk carrier Rubymar that was today attacked by the Houthis sank."

Another post by account @stairwayto3dom, viewed 195,000 times, added: "🚨🇾🇪🇬🇧 British ship RubyMar sunk by Yemen!"

The video included audio of Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree.

The Facts

Reuters reported on Monday comments from Yahya Saree, who said while the crew of the Rubymar was safe, the ship was damaged and at risk of sinking.

U.S. Central Command said on X that two anti-ship ballistic missiles had been launched from "Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen" towards the Belize-flagged and U.K.-owned bulk carrier.

One of the missiles hit the vessel, which issued a distress call that a coalition warship responded to. The crew was taken to a nearby port by a merchant vessel.

This latest incident is among the most significant attacks from Houthi territory since fighting in the Red Sea intensified this January.

However, the video shared on social media of a tanker sinking was filmed at least eight years ago.

Reverse image searches suggest it is the Atlantik Confidence which sank in 2013 off the coast of Oman, with more than $30 million of steel products onboard.

A 2017 report by Turkish shipping news site Deniz Haber included screengrabs from the video shared on social media, alongside other photos of the Atlantik Confidence before it sank.

The original clip was posted in 2015 alongside other footage.

Newsweek has not independently verified whether the video shared on X is of the Atlantik Confidence. In any case, the footage predates the attack on the Rubymar by at least eight years.

It's not the first time the same video has been used to make claims about a Houthi victory in the Red Sea. The clip was shared on January 24, 2024, during other attacks in the Gulf of Aden. A post on X by "Dr. Mohammed Aljammal" on January 24 included the video and said "What happened at the Gulf of Aden!!"

So far there have been no reports of any ships being sunk by Houthi rebels.

The Ruling

False.

The video is not of the Rubymar sinking. It has been online since at least 2015. Some reports suggest it's of a tanker that sank off the coat of Oman in 2013. The same clip has been misleadingly used elsewhere since Houthi rebels began attacking container ships in the Red Sea earlier this year.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team