The Greek-owned Tutor ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi militants in the Red Sea last week has sunk, salvagers confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday.
The Tutor was struck with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water, according to sources including maritime security companies and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The UKMTO said on Tuesday that the vessel was believed to have become the second ship sunk by the Iran-aligned Houthis in the region since November.
Two salvage vessels were on their way to recover the Tutor when they were informed that the ship was believed to have sunk, Andreas Tsavliris, one of Tsavliris’ Salvage owners, told Reuters.
Naval forces had informed vessels sailing to the area on Tuesday afternoon that the Liberia-flagged Tutor had sunk and that there was debris and evidence of oil at the site.
“Therefore we abandoned the mission,” Tsavliris said.
Earlier this week American forces assigned to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) airlifted the crew of the Tutor.
A helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 airlifted 24 civilian mariners from Tutor to Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58).
From there, helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 transported the group to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). After being medically checked on IKE, the mariners were flown ashore for follow-on care.
Greek ships attacked by Houthis in the Red Sea
The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital nearly a decade ago and have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since shortly after, have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
The US and UK launched waves of air strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, but they seem to have failed to deter the attacks on ships in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important waterways for trade.
Several Greek ships have been the targets of the Houthis in recent months. In late May a Greek-owned bulk carrier, named the Laax, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was targeted about 52 miles (85 km) southwest of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.
In late April MV Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned vessel was attacked off the coast of Mokha, Yemen. The ship was damaged in the attack though its crew was safe.
In February another Greek-owned ship was targeted by missiles off the coast of Yemen. A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier was targeted by missiles in two separate incidents within two minutes while transiting through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
And in January 2024 a missile hit the dry bulk vessel, Zografia, which sustained minor damage. There were no injuries among the crew. A video of the Houthi strike was released by private Skai TV.