The Houthis claimed responsibility for small watercraft and missile attacks that sank a Greek-owned cargo ship near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah in the Red Sea.
The Houthis stated on Wednesday, 12 June, that the Tutor coal carrier suffered severe damage and could go down after an attack by an unmanned surface boat, drones, and ballistic missiles.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the attack was the first time the Houthis had successfully used a boat as a weapon.
The impact of the (unmanned surface vessel) caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room.
The Houthis control the capital and the most densely populated areas of Yemen. Since November, they have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea region in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. In another attack, they sank one ship, hijacked another vessel and killed three sailors.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated that the Liberian-flagged Tutor vessel was taking on water and disobeyed the crew’s command after sustaining damage to the engine room.
The UKMTO said a small white coloured craft collided with the stern of a cargo ship and an “unknown airborne projectile” hit the vessel.
It was hit twice by air and by sea. There are no reports of injuries.
According to a Greek ministry official, the Tutor was sailing to India when the Houthis attacked it. The Tutor loaded at the Port of Ust-Luga, Russia, on 18 May and discharged at Port Said, Egypt, on June 9, according to LSEG data. The next scheduled destination was Aqaba, Jordan.
The Houthi attacks have turned world trade upside down, forcing shipowners to divert ships away from the crucial shortcut to the Suez Canal. They have also prompted retaliatory strikes by the US and Britain since February.
On Wednesday, the Houthis claimed they had also carried out two joint military operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. They struck targets in the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Haifa.
The Houthi attacks continue as negotiators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar try to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza war. According to Gaza health authorities, Israel responded by air, land, and sea to a Hamas attack on 7 October last year. The Israeli retaliation killed more than 37,000 Palestinians.
