Six crew members have been rescued after spending 24 hours in the Red Sea and four others were killed after Yemen’s Houthi militants attacked and sank a second ship this week.
There are fears another 15 crew members may have been kidnapped.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault on the Eternity C, which went down on Wednesday morning after attacks on two previous days, Reuters reported.
The group also claimed responsibility for a similar assault on Sunday targeting another ship, the Magic Seas, sharing dramatic footage purportedly showing the moment it blew up.
Another video claims to depict their attack on Eternity C, which included sound of a Yemen naval forces’ call for the crew to evacuate for rescue and showed explosions on the ship before it sank.
The United States Mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping many surviving crew members from Eternity C and called for their immediate and unconditional safe release.
A picture released by Yemen’s Huthi Ansarullah Media Centre claims to show a view of explosions on the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas (Photo by ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTRE / AFP)Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats by suspected Houthi militants.
The vessel was hit again with sea drones on Tuesday, forcing the crew and armed guards to abandon it, security sources told Reuters.
“The Yemeni Navy responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location,” the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised address.
All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank.
Video shows militants carrying out an attack on the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas (Photo by ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTRE / AFP)The strikes on the two ships revive a campaign by the Iran-aligned fighters who had attacked more than 100 ships from November 2023 to December 2024 in what they said was solidarity with the Palestinians.
In May, the US announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.
Leading shipping industry associations, including the International Chamber of Shipping and BIMCO, denounced the deadly operation and called for robust maritime security in the region via a joint statement on Wednesday.
“These vessels have been attacked with callous disregard for the lives of innocent civilian seafarers,” they said.
“This tragedy illuminates the need for nations to maintain robust support in protecting shipping and vital sea lanes.”
The Eternity C and the Magic Seas both flew Liberia flags and were operated by Greek firms.
“We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light,” said an official at Greece-based maritime risk management firm Diaplous.
The EU’s Aspides naval mission, which protects Red Sea shipping, confirmed in a statement that six people had been pulled from the sea.
Oil prices rose on Wednesday, maintaining their highest levels since June 23, also due to the recent attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
With agencies
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