FACT CHECK: No, Video Does Not Show Houthis Sinking A Cargo Ship
Verdict: False
The video predates the current Houthi-U.S. conflict by years. It is not related to current events.
Fact Check:
The Houthis hit a commercial ship and appeared to have shot down an MQ-9 drone on Feb. 19, according to CNN. The crew of the ship abandoned the vessel, the outlet reported.
Social media users are claiming to show the ship sinking. One user wrote, “The moment the British ship ‘RUBYMAR’ sank after being targeted by the Yemeni armed forces.”
However, this claim is false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the video was shared in Dec. 2015, more than eight years ago. The video’s title on YouTube reads, “THE SHIP IS SINKING BEFORE OUR EYES.”
“The Turkish bulk carrier ATLANTIK CONFIDENCE, abandoned on March 30, 2013 by the crew off the island of Masirah (Oman) after a fire that started in the engine room, sank the next day – March 31, 2013, BSNews reports. On board the ship were also 30 thousand tons of steel structures for the largest airport being built in Oman – Muscat International Airport,” reads the video description.
The Atlantik Confidence sunk in 2013, according to Jackson Porter Solicitors. It sunk due to an engine fire and was carrying around $30 million in steel products. (RELATED: Houthi Rebels Claim To Hit U.S. Warship In Red Sea)
Check Your Fact has fact-checked numerous claims related to the current fighting in the Levant. For example, Check Your Fact recently fact-checked the claim that 28,000 Palestinian civilians had died in Israel’s campaign against Gaza.
