Houthis release video showing double strike and sinking of bulker

Update: Houthi rebel forces have released video footage purporting to show the sinking of the abandoned and drifting bulk carrier 82,000-dwt Tutor in the Red Sea. In the video footage, the narrator warns "what’s coming is greater". In May, after a period of relative calm, the group warned it would be initiating a "fourth phase" in its missile and drone attacks on merchant ships in the region. Another vessel struck by the Houthis last week, a small bulk carrier Verbena, is feared to have sunk after the vessel caught fire.

18 June

Tutor, a 82,000-dwt bulk carrier owned by Greek firm Evalend Shipping, was badly damaged following a drone and missile attack. At least one Filipino crew member died in the incident and another is reportedly severely injured. 

The incident was first reported by the ship’s master on VHF radio when the ship was sailing southbound about 130 km southwest of the Yemen port of Hodeidah. In a televised statement, a Houthi spokesman said the group claimed the Tutor attack and confirmed it used drones and ballistic missiles. The ship was assisted by military vessels and has since been evacuated.

Verbena, a small Ukraine-owned bulker carrying wood products, was also hit by a Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden and has been evacuated. The vessel is burning out of control and sinking, despite initial reports it had survived the attack. The ship was abandoned by its crew on 15 June and is drifting northeast of Djibouti.

Trade association Intercargo, which represents the interests of dry cargo shipowners, unequivocally condemned the attack.

In a public statement, the association said, “We demand all involved parties cease their deliberate and targeted attacks on innocent seafarers with immediate effect. In addition, we urge all states to further enhance maritime security in this region.”

“Intercargo reminds the world that seafarers and global shipping kept the world fed and warm during the pandemic, irrespective of politics. It is the world’s moral duty to protect seafarers.”

According to industry security analysts, the Tutor attack marks the first instance of the Yemeni rebels attacking a ship with a sea drone.

This is the second vessel to suffer a seafarer fatality. In March, three crew members on 2011-built bulker True Confidence lost their lives in a similar incident perpetrated by the Houthis.

IMO has also raised the issue of seafarer safety. Secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said “Once again, I am appalled that seafarers going about their work continue to be targeted and injured. I am truly saddened to learn that one crew member is currently unaccounted for on merchant vessel Tutor, following an attack on the ship in the Red Sea. My thoughts, and those of IMO, are with the family of the crew member. I strongly condemn any type of attack against international shipping, regardless of its motivation or cause.”

“This situation cannot go on. Everybody is going to feel the negative effect if international shipping is not able to trade as normal. But our commitment is, above all, safeguarding the safety of all seafarers.”

On 16 June, Houthi forces claimed to have launched missile attacks at three more vessels. Crude oil tanker Captain Paris, LPG vessel Happy Condor and an unnamed American military ship.

Also on 16 June, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a vessel 40 nautical miles south of Yemen’s port of al Mukha had reported two explosions nearby. UKMTO did not identify the ship but said both the vessel and its crew were safe and continuing their journey.