'I thought I was going to die': Filipino Sailor recounts Houthi attack in Red Sea
The 38-year-old realised what sounded like a "knock" from inside the vessel was gunfire being exchanged by ship security and Houthi rebels swarming the ship in small boats.
The July 6 assault on the Greek-owned Magic Seas broke a months-long lull in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping, which began after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Crew members scrambled to reach the "muster station" at the centre of the ship, considered the safest place should a projectile strike the vessel.
"There was panic, but we knew we had to move. It's like we were on autopilot," said Cocoy, who asked to be referred to by his nickname as he undergoes a debriefing.
"(The crew) were in a daze, but they were all rushing to do their assigned jobs for our safety protocol... maybe I looked dazed too," he told AFP.
"There were speedboats from the right, left and back of our ship," he said, relaying what the ship's security team had told him.
"There was also a bigger boat with around 15 crew who were attempting to board our ship, but luckily, our armed guards were able to stop them."
Of the 22 aboard the ship, 17 were Filipino .
The group huddled inside the muster station for nearly five hours as the ship's three armed Sri Lankan security guards tried to stave off the attack.
"I lost count of how many hits we took," he told AFP of Houthi projectiles.
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