Red Sea attacks: Ship badly flooded after Houthi attack

The US military says a Greek ship in the Red Sea was struck by an unmanned surface vessel launched by the Houthis in Yemen, causing severe flooding and engine room damage.

The Royal Navy’s Maritime Commercial Operations Office (UKMTO) said it received reports on Wednesday of a ship struck astern about 66 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeida, Yemen, held by the rebels.

The vessel was taking on water and was not under the crew’s command, the UKMTO said. No casualties have been reported.

The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a Liberian-flagged ship named Tutor using a maritime drone.

The Houthis attacked ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, causing significant disruption to global trade.

In a statement, a Houthi military spokesperson said the ship was attacked “using an unmanned surface boat, several drones and ballistic missiles,” adding that the ship was “severely damaged and vulnerable to sinking.

The ship was targeted “because the company owning the ship violated the decision to prohibit entry into the ports of occupied Palestine,” the statement said.

US Central Command (CentCom) reported that “an Iranian-backed Houthi unmanned surface vessel (USV)” struck the Tutor, which it said was most recently docked in Russia.

The impact “caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room,” he posted on X.

CentCom added that its forces had “successfully destroyed” three anti-ship cruise missile launchers in a Houthi-controlled area of ​​Yemen in the past 24 hours, as well as a drone launched from a Houthi-controlled area of ​​Yemen. Houthis over the Red Sea.

“This continued malicious and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of sailors in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” he said.

The Houthi armed group considers itself part of an Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the United States and the West as a whole, and has declared its support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Since November, the rebel group has carried out attacks on ships it says are linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying their actions are in support of the Palestinians.

In response, the US and UK have carried out a series of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, leading the Houthis to retaliate against ships they suspect are linked to those countries.

Rebel attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea have prompted many shipping companies to stop using the waterway, through which about 12 percent of global maritime trade passes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said one of its employees was among those arrested. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that he was “deeply concerned” about the situation.