AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has confirmed the sinking of a commercial vessel recently targeted by the Yemeni armed forces in the Red Sea.
According to IRNA, citing the Palestinian Sama news agency, the UKMTO announced the sinking of the ship “Tutor” in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water, according to previous reports from UKMTO, the Yemeni and other sources.
In this regard, UKMTO reported that an oil stain can also be seen at the sinking site of this commercial ship in the Red Sea.
The Tutor's manager could not immediately be reached for comment. One crew member, believed to be in the Tutor's engine room at the time of the attacks, remained missing while others were rescued.
Earlier, spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces, Yahya Saree, while confirming the attack on Tutor, had announced its imminent sinking.
In a statement on Saturday, Saree said that the ships, named Verbena and Tutor, were targeted and that Verbena had sunk in the Gulf of Aden after it was hit by several missiles and Tutor was at risk of sinking “within the coming hours”.
The Yemeni army official said that both vessels were heading towards Israeli-occupied ports and thus violated Yemeni warnings against approaching those ports.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday morning said that the crew of Verbana left this bulk carrier due to the continued fire and inability to contain it.
Over past months, the Yemeni armed forces, in support of the people of Gaza, have targeted several Israeli and Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The Yemeni armed forces have pledged to continue attacking the ships heading toward the occupied territories until the Zionist regime stops its genocide against Palestinians and ends siege on the Gaza Strip.
....................
End/ 257