Reuters
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Rescuers pulled six crew members from the Red Sea after Houthi extremists attacked this week and sunk a second ship, but the fate of another 15 was unknown after a group lined up in Iran said they held some of the crew.
Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack that maritime officials say they killed four of the 25 people on the Eternal C before the rest abandoned the cargo ship. Sources from the security company involved in the rescue operation said Eternity C had dropped Wednesday morning after the previous two days of attacks.
Six rescued seafarers spent more than 24 hours in the water, those companies said.
Yemen’s US mission accused Houthis of luring many of the surviving crews from the eternal C, calling for immediate and unconditional safe release.
“The Yemeni Navy responded to rescue many ship crews, provide medical care and transport them to safe locations,” a military spokesman for the group said at a television address.
Houthis released a video in which they said they portrayed an eternal attack. It included a sound of a Yemeni Navy’s call for crews to evacuate for rescue, indicating an explosion on the ship before it sinks. Reuters were unable to independently verify the audio or ship location.
Houthis also claims responsibility for a similar attack on Sunday, targeting another ship, the magical sea. All the crew from the magical sea were rescued before sinking.
The strike on the two ships revived a campaign by fighter jets deployed in Iran that attacked more than 100 ships from November 2023 to December 2024, calling them solidarity with the Palestinians. In May, the US announced a surprising deal with Houthis, agreeing to halt the bombing campaign against them in exchange for the end of the attack, but Houthis said the deal did not include Israeli savings.
Large shipping industry associations, including International Maritime Transport and BIMCO, denounced the fatal operations and called for the region’s robust maritime security through a joint statement on Wednesday.
“These vessels are being attacked with merciless ignorance of the lives of innocent civilian sailors,” they said.
“This tragedy reveals the need for the nation to maintain robust support in protecting maritime and important sea lines.”
The Eternal C and the Magical Sea both flew Liberian flags and were run by Greek companies. Some of the sister ships of each broader fleet had called Israeli ports over the past year, shipment data analysis showed.
“We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light,” said an official at Diaplous, a Greece-based maritime risk management company.
The EU volunteered for a naval mission to protect transport in the Red Sea, confirming in a statement that six people have been pulled out of the sea.
The Red Sea, passing through Yemen’s coast, has long been a key waterway for world oil and commodities, but since the start of the Houthi attack, traffic has been dropping sharply.
Data from Maritime Data Group Lloyd’s List Intelligence showed that 30 vessels were counted on July 6th and July 1st on July 8th, counting daily sailings through the narrow Bab Almandav Strait, located at the southern tip of the Red Sea and the gateway to the Gulf of Aden.
Oil prices rose on Wednesday, continuing to their highest level since June 23rd. This has maintained its highest level due to recent attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Eternity C was first attacked Monday afternoon after sea drones and rocket-propelled rena shots fired from a speedboat due to suspicions of Houthi extremists, maritime security sources said. The lifeship was destroyed during the attack. By Tuesday morning, the ship was on a list with a drift.
Two security sources told Reuters that the ship was attacked with seedrones again on Tuesday, forcing the crew and armed guards to abandon it. Houthis remained on the boat until early Wednesday, one source said.
Skiff was in the area as rescue operations were underway.
The crew consisted of 21 Filipinos and one Russian. Three armed guards also boarded, including a Greek and one Indian.
Space Management, the operator of the vessel, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries. If confirmed, the four reported deaths are the first deaths since June 2024 from attacks on transport in the Red Sea.
Sources say Greece is in talks with Saudi Arabia, the region’s leading player.
