M/V Tutor Sinks after Houthi Attack in Red Sea

The M/V Tutor appears to have sunk after it was struck in the stern last week by an unmanned surface vessel in the Red Sea. The sinking marks the second commercial vessel sunk by the Houthis since the Iranian-backed terrorist group began attacking merchant ships in November in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The sinking follows the loss of the Rubymar in the Southern Red Sea in early March.

An update from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office on Tuesday said that military authorities reported seeing debris and oil in the last known location of the Tutor. “The vessel is believed to have sunk in position 14’19’N 041’14’E,” the update said.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was initially struck in the stern by an unmanned small craft on June 12 while underway in the Southern Red Sea. The vessel was later struck by a second time by “an unknown airborne projectile.”

The incident marked the first time Houthis had successfully used an unmanned surface vessel in their attacks.

Photos posted online over the weekend showed the Tutor sinking by its stern.

The sinking of the Tutor comes seven months after the Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader car carrier and its 25 crew members, who are still being held captive on board the vessel off Yemen. Since then, the Houthis have carried out numerous drone and missile attacks, posing a significant threat to the lives of seafarers and global freedom of navigation.

The missing crew member from the Tutor is the fourth civilian seafarer killed in the attacks, following the deaths of three seafarers on board the True Confidence after the ship was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden in early March.