The Greek-owned Liberia-flagged freighter “Tutor” has sustained serious damage due to a double strike by the Houthis while sailing in the Red Sea, which caused it to take on water in its engine room.
According to a Hellenic Coast Guard announcement on Wednesday, the ship was hit from the air and from the sea, while there have been no reports of injuries. There are no Greek sailors on the vessel, which will probably have to be towed to a safe port.
Yemen’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as using a “drone boat,” as well as drones and ballistic missiles.
In a warning to shippers, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center described the vessel as being hit in its stern by a small white craft southwest of the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida.
The captain “reports the vessel is taking on water, and not under command of the crew,” the UKMTO said. He also “reports the vessel was hit for a second time by an unknown airborne projectile.”
The US military’s Central Command also acknowledged the attack, saying the Tutor “most recently docked in Russia.”
“The impact of the (drone boat) caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room,” it added.
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.