Houthis claim sinking ship amid escalating Red Sea vessel attacks

Two crew members of a Greece-managed ship were injured and two others remain missing following a drone strike off the coast of Yemen on Monday. This occurred shortly after Iran-backed Houthi forces stated they had attacked another cargo vessel in the Red Sea, claiming it had sunk.

The attack took place approximately 50 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeidah. It marked the second assault by the Houthis on commercial ships in the key shipping route since November 2024, according to an official from the EU's Operation Aspides, which assists in safeguarding maritime traffic in the region.

The vessel, the Liberian-flagged Eternity C, operated by Greece and carrying 22 crew members—21 Filipinos and one Russian—was targeted with naval drones and small boats, reported its management company, Cosmoship.

Two crew members sustained serious injuries, while two others went missing, the firm stated, noting that three armed guards were aboard. The ship’s bridge was struck, and communication systems were disrupted.

After the assault involving naval drones and four speedboats that fired rocket-propelled grenades, the ship was left drifting, the Aspides official said. The vessel had not sought an escort or protection from naval forces prior to the incident.

No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier, the Houthis announced they had carried out a separate strike on Sunday against the Greek-operated MV Magic Seas near southwestern Yemen. The assault involved gunfire, grenades launched from eight skiffs, missiles, and four unmanned vessels.

The 19-member crew was forced to abandon the Liberian-flagged ship as water entered the hull. A passing vessel rescued them, and they have since arrived safely in Djibouti, sources confirmed.

The Houthis said they sank the ship, but Michael Bodouroglou, a representative of Stem Shipping, one of the vessel’s commercial operators, indicated there was no independent confirmation of this.

Reports described fires in the ship’s bow and flooding in the engine room and at least two cargo holds, with power lost onboard. Aspides had previously alerted about an explosion risk near the ship.

Since October 2023, when Israel began its military campaign in Gaza against Hamas, the Houthis have carried out strikes against Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which they describe as acts of support for Palestinians.

Israel has retaliated against Houthi positions, conducting strikes on Monday for the first time in nearly a month. A ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and the Houthis in May did not involve Israel. Analysts from maritime security firm Diaplous noted that these incidents heighten risks for commercial ships linked to Israeli ports.

The Magic Seas was transporting iron and fertilizers from China to Turkey, a route believed to be low-risk as it had no connection to Israel, said Bodouroglou. He added that Stem Shipping had not received any prior warning of the attack.