The cargo ship that was struck on June 12 by Yemen's Houthis, identified by the Iran-backed rebels as M/V Tutor, "is believed to have sunk" in the Red Sea, the British maritime authority said.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier M/V Tutor was hit by an unmanned surface vessel, apparently in the first case where the Houthis successfully use such a weapon.

The June 12 attack caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room.

Sailors assigned to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group airlifted the crew out on Saturday, NAVCENT said, adding that one civilian sailor remained missing.

The US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said on Sunday that it had rescued the crew from the M/V Tutor.

This is the second vessel sinking after being hit by the Houthis, since October 2023 when the Yemeni rebels started their campaign against commercial vessels navigating the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

The attacks began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations in early November to blockade Israeli trade in the wake of the Gaza war.