At least three dead as Greek-operated ship attacked in Red Sea

Three crew members were killed and at least two others injured after a Greek-operated, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, Eternity C, came under attack off the coast of Yemen, the EU naval mission Aspides confirmed on Tuesday. The ship was struck by sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades launched from manned speedboats in the Red Sea, a vital global trade route now gripped by renewed Houthi militia attacks.

The Eternity C, with 22 crew members on board – 21 Filipinos and one Russian – is now adrift and listing, maritime sources said. The fatalities mark the first shipping deaths in the region since June 2024 and raise the total seafarers killed in Red Sea attacks to seven.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who began targeting commercial vessels in November 2023 in what they describe as support for Palestinians in Gaza, have not yet claimed responsibility for the latest incident. Hours earlier, however, they had claimed an attack on another Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated vessel, MV Magic Seas, off southwest Yemen. While the Houthis said the ship sank, the vessel’s manager could not confirm the report. All crew members from Magic Seas were safely rescued and taken to Djibouti.

Read More: Ship attacked in Red Sea near Yemen, likely by Houthis, say officials

Liberia’s delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) condemned the attacks and expressed grief, stating:

“Just as Liberia was processing the shock and grief of the attack against Magic Seas, we received a report that Eternity C again has been attacked—horribly—causing the death of two seafarers.”

The IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, described the renewed assaults as a violation of international law and freedom of navigation, saying innocent seafarers and local communities remain the primary victims.

Both Eternity C and Magic Seas are linked to commercial fleets whose sister ships have docked at Israeli ports in the past year, increasing their risk of targeting by the Houthis. Maritime intelligence experts caution that, as long as the Gaza conflict continues, vessels with real or perceived connections to Israel will remain at elevated risk

Also read: Israel strikes Houthi ports and power station in Yemen

In response to the attacks, the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers has advised Filipino seafarers to exercise their right to refuse deployment to “high-risk, war-like” zones, including the Red Sea.

Shipping traffic through the Red Sea has declined by around 50% since the first Houthi strikes in 2023, according to Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO. He added that the continued unpredictability means this reduction is unlikely to change despite the latest escalation.

Monday’s deadly strike on the Eternity C, approximately 50 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah port, is the second such attack in the region since November 2024, underscoring the volatile security landscape for commercial shipping.