A drone and speedboat attack off Yemen in the Red Sea killed four seafarers on a Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier, the second incident in 24 hours, Reuters reports.
The vessel was targeted by sea drones and skiffs off Hodeidah, Yemen, an area controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
The Eternity C, owned by Greek company Cosmoship, was en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when it was struck. The attack was begun by rebels aboard speedboats. They launched a fierce assault with rocket launchers, alongside two unmanned aerial vehicles that exploded upon impact with the ship. The rocket fire struck the ship’s bridge and engine room, rendering the vessel “blind” and unmanageable.
Reports indicate that the ship’s armed security personnel were trapped amidst the wreckage of the bridge, attempting to prevent return fire from the Houthi rebels who were circling the stricken ship in their boats. An immediate order was given to abandon the ship, but the prevailing conditions made this impossible.
The crew consists of 22 Filipinos and three Indian armed guards. Communication with the vessel was impacted after the attack, making it difficult to ascertain the full extent of the situation. Greek government officials have confirmed the attack and the nationalities of those on board.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs in Athens has announced urgent and coordinated measures to safeguard Greek-owned vessels and Greek seafarers amid escalating attacks by Houthis in the Red Sea.
The Ministry, according to a relevant announcement, is closely monitoring developments and stands ready to assist, particularly through the Directorate of Maritime Labour, in the event of incidents involving Greek-flagged ships or Greek nationals on foreign-flagged vessels.
In response, Greece has raised the issue at the ongoing IMO Council session, maintains round-the-clock communication with the EU’s ASPIDES naval mission, and has issued updated safety guidelines to the shipping community, emphasizing the protection of Greek crews.
Greek ship sinks after Houthi attack on Sunday
The Houthis have not commented on the Eternity C, but hours earlier claimed responsibility for a strike on another Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier, the MV Magic Seas, off southwest Yemen on Sunday, saying the vessel sank.
“After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Tuesday.
Just hours prior, Houthi militants claimed responsibility for an assault on the Greek-owned Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas in the Red Sea on Sunday.
The Magic Seas was reportedly attacked by drones, missiles, and rocket-propelled grenades, forcing its crew to abandon ship. The vessel then sank. The crew was subsequently rescued by a passing vessel and taken to Djibouti.
Renewed concerns about Red Sea shipping
The two attacks underscore the continued high risk to shipping in the Red Sea region and vital sea lanes around Yemen. The area remains a flashpoint for geopolitical instability and armed group activity, with this incident serving as a stark reminder of ongoing threats to commercial maritime traffic.
In May, President Donald Trump announced the US would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen. He said that the group had agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East. Under the agreement, neither the US nor the Houthis would target the other, including US ships in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandab Strait.
Later in June, Yemen’s Houthis threatened to target US ships in the Red Sea if Washington became involved in Israeli attacks on Iran. They have not specified whether they will follow through on their threat after US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities last month.
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