09-07-2025
Four dead as Houthis sink second cargo ship in days
A rescue operation has pulled six crew members of a cargo ship from the water after the vessel was attacked and later sunk by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Four of the 25 people aboard the Eternity C cargo ship were killed before the rest of the crew abandoned the vessel, which sank on Wednesday morning after being attacked on Monday and Tuesday, sources at security companies involved in a rescue operation said.
The six seafarers, who were rescued as part of a European Union naval operation, spent more than 24 hours in the water.
A Houthi spokesperson later made a televised address where he said the group had sunk the Eternity C.
"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," he said.
The Eternity C is the second cargo ship to be attacked and sunk by the Yemen-based militia group, who are widely known to be one of Iran's proxies in the region.
Vision released by the Houthis shows large explosions around another vessel, the Magic Seas cargo ship before it sinks beneath the waves.
All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank.
Both of the ships that were attacked flew Liberia flags and were operated by Greek firms.
Some of the sister vessels in each of their wider fleets had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, shipping data analysis showed.
The Red Sea, which passes Yemen's coast, has long been a critical waterway for the world's oil and commodities.
Traffic has dropped since the Iran-aligned Houthi militia began targeting ships in November 2023 in what the group said was solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.
Oil prices rose on Wednesday, maintaining their highest levels since June 23, also due to the recent attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon local time with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats by suspected Yemen-based Houthi militants, maritime security sources said.
Lifeboats were destroyed during the raid and by Tuesday morning the vessel was adrift and listing.
Two security sources told Reuters that the vessel was hit again with sea drones on Tuesday, forcing the crew and armed guards to abandon it.
The Houthis stayed with the vessel until the early hours of Wednesday, one of the sources said.
The crew comprised 21 Filipinos and one Russian.
Three armed guards were also on board, including one Greek and one Indian, who was one of those rescued.
The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries.
If confirmed, the four reported deaths would be the first fatalities from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024.
