Crew rescued from Red Sea ship attacked by Houthis arrive in Saudi Arabia

Private security companies call off search for missing sailors, with at least 11 unaccounted for

The Eternity C bulk carrier sinks in the Red Sea after being attacked by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. EPA

Ten crew members rescued after Yemen's Houthi rebels sank a Greek-owned ship last week have arrived in Saudi Arabia, Reuters quoted maritime security sources as saying.

Private security companies said earlier that the search for the remaining crew had been called off, with at least four people presumed dead and 11 unaccounted for.

The announcement came as satellite imagery revealed long, trailing oil slicks at the sites where the bulk carrier Eternity C sank and where the Magic Seas was also struck by the Iran-backed Houthis, AP reported.

Both ships were attacked by the rebels more than a week ago. The group has escalated assaults on maritime traffic in response to Israel's war on Gaza. The Houthi campaign has severely disrupted shipping in the Red Sea, a global trade route through which about $1 trillion in goods passes each year.

Private security firms Ambrey and Diaplous Group led the search for the missing Eternity C crew. The vessel was carrying a three-man security team but did not ask for an escort from the US navy or the EU naval mission in the region. The vessel was attacked on July 7 and endured hours of Houthi assaults involving small arms fire and bomb-laden drones before sinking.

The attack came a day after the Magic Seas was struck. Both ships were Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged bulk carriers.

Ten crew members were rescued from the Eternity C – eight Filipinos, one Greek citizen and one Indian security guard – the EU's Operation Aspides said. The Houthis claimed they took some of the crew hostage, but have provided no evidence. The US embassy in Yemen said it believed the rebels kidnapped some of the crew.

“The decision to end the search has been taken by the vessel’s Owner reluctantly but it believes that, in all the circumstances, the priority must now be to get the 10 souls safely recovered alive ashore and to provide them with the urgent medical support they need at this difficult time,” the security companies said in a statement. “The thoughts of all those involved in the rescue operation are with the families of those who remain missing.”

The Houthis also claimed responsibility for the assault on the Magic Seas. All crew from the vessel were rescued before it sank.