Ten people were still unaccounted for on Thursday, three days after Houthi forces attacked the bulk carrier Eternity C in the Red Sea. Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the water that morning, Reuters reported, citing maritime security sources. The four had spent nearly 48 hours adrift.
The ship’s Greek operator, Cosmoship Management, said ten people had now been rescued: eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. One person is believed dead, and four others have not been seen since the attack began.
Two attacks, then the water
Eternity C was first hit on Monday by sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. A second attack on Tuesday morning forced the crew to jump overboard. The vessel went down on Wednesday. Searchers have been out since that morning, and Cosmoship has asked ships passing through the area to help.
According to the operator, the ship had just unloaded a cargo for the UN World Food Program at Berbera, Somalia. It was sailing empty toward Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to take on fuel when the first strike came.
If the deaths are confirmed, they would be the first in the area since June 2024.
Crew held by the Houthis
Maritime security sources believe the Houthis are holding six of the 22 crew and three guards who were aboard. On Wednesday the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location.”
The United States Mission to Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and demanded their immediate, unconditional release. Cosmoship said it was working through several channels to verify that the Houthis had picked people up.
The Seafarers’ Charity, a UK-based association, called the crew “blameless victims who were simply doing their job.”
A second Greek-run ship in a week
Days earlier the Houthis hit and sank the Magic Seas. Both ships flew Liberian flags and were run by Greek companies, and every crew member of the Magic Seas was rescued before it sank. Shipping data showed that some sister vessels in both fleets had called at Israeli ports in the past year.
The two sinkings broke months of relative quiet off Yemen’s coast. They revived a campaign that began in November 2023, in which the group says it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war and which has involved attacks on more than 100 ships.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the group’s leader, said in a televised address on Thursday that its ban on companies moving Israel-linked goods through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea has been in force since 2023. “It was never stopped or cancelled, and it is a valid decision,” he said, adding that this week’s attacks targeted companies that violated it.
Shipping reacts
Insurance costs for Red Sea transits have more than doubled since the attacks, industry sources said, and some underwriters have paused cover for certain voyages. Lloyd’s List Intelligence counted 32 vessels crossing the Bab al-Mandab strait on July 9, down from 43 on July 1. Many shipping companies have suspended voyages altogether.
MarineTraffic data showed several ships broadcasting messages on Thursday that cited Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board. One said it had no relation with Israel.
