MV Tutor, a Liberian flagged and Greek operated bulk carrier ship that was abandoned after being hit by an explosive drone on Friday (14) in the Red Sea is slowly taking on water, with two vessels on their way to try and rescue it.

Another vessel, MV Verbena, a Palauan flagged, Ukrainian owned, Polish operated bulk cargo carrier, was also attacked with two separate missile attacks resulting in fires on board. One civilian mariner was medically evacuated due to severe injuries. The crew of MV Verbena extinguished the fire and have resumed their transit in the Gulf of Aden, the US military said.

The crew of the Tutor, which was the first vessel to be hit with a waterborne explosive launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, were rescued by a US Navy ship, according to a statement from US Central Command. One seafarer was missing after the attack. A salvage company said it has dispatched two tugboats to the ship.

The Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the end of last year, a move they say is in protest against Israel’s war with Hamas. The knock-on effect has been a disruption to world shipping that has sent swaths of the global fleet sailing thousands of miles around Africa.

US Centcom also said that it had destroyed two more sea drones last Friday (14), as well as seven radar stations which were allowing the Houthis to target commercial ships in the Red Sea.

(Bloomberg / GCapt)