Cargo ship attacked in the Red Sea, crew member missing

Aden (Yemen), June 13: A commercial cargo ship was hit twice in attacks in the Red Sea off Yemen’s western coast. A crew member is missing and the ship is adrift, Yemeni and maritime authorities reported.

A government coast guard official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday that the Greek-owned bulk carrier Tutor was attacked about 67.7 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah when a boat laden with explosives detonated at the stern, causing a hull breach and flooding, Xinhua news agency reported.

Of the 21 crew members of various nationalities on board the ship, one has been reported missing since the first attack, the official said.

“The vessel is currently adrift and taking on water,” the official said, adding that the ship sent out a distress call via VHF radio shortly after the initial impact.

Meanwhile, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that it had received a report of the incident near Hodeidah, with the captain reporting that the vessel was leaking and not under crew control.

In a second attack, the stricken and unmanoeuvrable ship was again hit by “an unknown projectile from the air,” the UKMTO said, citing a report from the ship’s captain.

There was no immediate takeover offer from the Houthi group, which controls the Hodeidah region.

However, the group has carried out numerous attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months.

To show its solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Houthi group has fired anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones at ships allegedly linked to Israel transiting the Red Sea since November last year.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the region has launched airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi targets since January in an attempt to deter the group, but this has only led to an escalation of Houthi attacks on American and British merchant and warships.