ADDIS ABABA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, on Thursday called for urgent action to avert ecological disaster from a sunken cargo ship.

IGAD said in a press release that it is extremely worried about the looming ecological disaster posed to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden areas caused by the sinking of the cargo ship Rubymar off the coast of war-torn Yemen.

The eight-member bloc also said the cargo ship was loaded with more than 21,000 metric tonnes of ammonium phosphate fertilizer and fuel on board when it was hit by missiles.

Leaking fuel could devastate marine life, destroy coral reefs and marine life, jeopardize hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry, and cut off coastal states from food and fuel supplies, the IGAD statement warned.

The statement also warned that the ecology of the Red Sea area would need more than 30 years to recover from the consequences of the sinking of the Rubymar cargo ship.

IGAD called upon all stakeholders to invest in peaceful options to address the looming environmental disaster in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden areas. It also called for the cessation of attacks on ships passing through those areas.

On Saturday, the internationally-recognized Yemeni government reported that the British-owned, Belize-flagged cargo ship Rubymar, which was struck by Houthi missiles on Feb. 18, had sunk off the coast of Yemen. It is the first vessel lost since the Houthis began their offensive at sea last November.

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on ships linked to Israel, the United States, and Britain since mid-November last year, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who faced intense Israeli attacks. Enditem

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