Houthis believed to have sunk MV Tutor in the Red Sea, UKMTO says

CAIRO/LOS ANGELES - Yemen's Houthi militants are believed to have sunk a second ship in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.

The Houthis and other sources previously identified the imperiled ship as the Greek-owned Tutor. It was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water.

"Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the (Tutor's) last reported location," UKMTO said in a security update.

The Tutor's manager could not be immediately reached for comment.

One crew member, believed to be in Tutor's engine room at the time of the attacks, remains missing.

The sinking of the Tutor would mark the second sinking of a commercial vessel targeted by the Houthis since November, in what they say are attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The UK-owned Rubymar sank in the Red Sea on March 2, about two weeks after it was damaged by a Houthi attack.

The UKMTO's report of the suspected Tutor sinking comes a week after the Houthis seriously damaged the Tutor, a Liberia-flagged coal carrier, and the Palau-flagged Verbena, which was loaded with wood construction material.

Sailors from the Verbena were evacuated after they were unable to contain a fire sparked by the attacks. The Verbena is now drifting in the Gulf of Aden and vulnerable to sinking or further assaults.

Since November, the Houthis have also seized another vessel and killed three sailors in separate attacks.

The Iran-back militants' drone and missile assaults have forced shipping firms to divert vessels away from the Suez Canal trade shortcut to the longer route around Africa, disrupting global trade by delaying deliveries and sending costs higher.

U.S. and British forces on Monday conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen's Hodeidah International Airport and Kamaran Island near the port of Salif off the Red Sea in what appeared to be retaliation for last week's ship assaults. — Reuters