Six crew members have been rescued after a cargo ship was attacked and sank off Yemen, the EU naval force in the Red Sea said on Wednesday, as a search continues for the remaining crew.
The Eternity C, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, was badly damaged in an attack in the Red Sea that started on Monday and continued into Tuesday.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have not claimed responsibility for the incident, which comes after they attacked and sank another cargo ship, Magic Seas, whose crew were rescued.
"Following the attack on the merchant vessel Eternity C in the southern Red Sea, currently six castaway crew members have been recovered from the sea," the EUNAVFOR Aspides announced on X.
UK-based security firm Ambrey told AFP the Eternity C sank off the port city Hodeidah, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.
At least three members of the Eternity C's crew were killed in the attack by sea drones and speedboats, an EU mission and a delegation from Liberia told a meeting of the UN's shipping agency, the International Maritime Organisation, on Tuesday.
Two security sources told Reuters on Wednesday that the vessel was attacked again on Tuesday night, forcing the crew to jump into the water.
The crew is made up of 21 Filipinos and one Russian. The four armed guards include one Greek national.
The US on Wednesday condemned this week's attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, which reignited a crisis that had been dormant since a ceasefire between Washington and the Iran-supported Houthi rebels in April.
"The United States condemns the unprovoked Houthi terror attack on the civilian cargo vessels MV Magic Seas and MV Eternity C in the Red Sea, which resulted in the tragic loss of three mariners, with many others injured and the complete loss of the MV Magic Seas and its cargo," the US State Department said.
"These attacks demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security," the State Department added.
An official from UK maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday that Liberian-flagged bulk carrier the Magic Seas had sunk, a day after the Houthis said they struck the vessel with gunfire, rockets and explosive-laden remote controlled boats.
The Houthis have been attacking Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023. But the latest incidents are rare assaults in the strategic waters near Yemen, coming two months after the US announced a truce with the rebel group, aimed at halting attacks on ships in the region.
Before the ceasefire, the US carried out heavy strikes on Yemen in response to the attacks on shipping lanes.
“The attack on the Magic Seas is not a shift in the position of the Houthis. Before the ceasefire announced by the US President in May, and even after it, the position remained that targeting Israel and ships dealing with it will continue,” a Yemeni source in Sanaa told The National.
“Every Israeli aggression against the Palestinian and Yemeni people will be met with direct strikes on Israel by the Houthis. This is the decision now, no matter the consequences."
In response, Israel has been carrying out strikes on Yemen. The Yemeni port city of Hodeidah was struck on Sunday night, along with the ports of Ras Isa and Salif and the Ras Al Khatib power station, the Houthi-run Al Masirah television channel reported. The Israeli military said it “struck and destroyed terror infrastructure belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime”.
"The United States has been clear: we will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks," the State Department said.
