Houthis attack Greek ship in the Red Sea

The Iranian-allied Houthis in Yemen used a small unmanned surface vessel (USV) to attack a Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated ship in the Red Sea. The ship’s engine room was flooded and damaged, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

“The M/V Tutor last docked in Russia. The impact of the USV caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room,” CENTCOM said in a statement, adding that the Houthis also fired two anti-ship missiles (ASBMs) from Houthis-controlled areas of Yemen over the Red Sea. No injuries or damage were reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels in that incident.

Regarding the attack on the Greek-operated vessel M/V Tutor, the UK Maritime Authority (UKMO) said the vessel was hit on the stern by a small boat. The captain reported that the vessel was taking on water and was not under the command of the crew. The vessel was also hit a second time by an “unidentified projectile from the air”.

According to LSEG data cited by Reuters, the M/V Tutor was loaded at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia on May 18 and unloaded at Port Said, Egypt on June 9. The next planned destination for the vessel was Aqaba, Jordan.

The Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea in November, calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and vowing to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea until Israel stops bombing the Gaza Strip.

The attacks on the most important waterway between Europe and Asia meant that many ships had to divert to Africa. This made the journeys between Europe and Asia longer and more expensive and disrupted the ships’ schedules.

The US is trying to prevent the Houthis from attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea and has carried out numerous strikes against Houthis’ missiles and drones in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-allied group.

At the end of May, the Houthis expanded their sphere of influence and attacked six ships in three seas: the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean. Previously, the Houthis had not managed to reach the Mediterranean, which is a rather worrying development for the West.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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