Latest Red Sea Attack on Greek Ship Kills 4 Crew, Wounds 2

MTV Lebanon

09-07-2025

A drone and speedboat attack off Yemen killed four seafarers on a Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier, an official with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, the second incident in a day, following months of calm.
Traffic in the Red Sea, a key waterway for oil and commodities, has dropped since Yemen's Houthi militia aligned with Iran began targeting ships in 2023 in what it called solidarity with Palestinians under assault in Israel's war in Gaza.
The deaths on the Eternity C, the first involving shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024, take to eight the total of seafarers killed in the Red Sea attacks.
One more injured crew died on board after the attack, a source with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Houthis have not commented on the Eternity C, but hours earlier claimed responsibility for a strike on another Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier, the MV Magic Seas, off southwest Yemen on Sunday, saying the vessel sank.
"After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation," IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Tuesday.
The U.S. State Department condemned the "unprovoked Houthi terror attack on the civilian cargo vessels MV Magic Seas and MV Eternity C", as demonstrating the threats the Houthis posed to freedom of navigation and regional security.
Washington "will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping," it added in a statement.
The Eternity C's operator, Cosmoship Management, was not immediately available to comment.
Eternity C, with 21 Philippine nationals and a Russian making up a crew of 22, was adrift and listing after the attack with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from manned speed boats, maritime security sources told Reuters.
Greece was in diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia over the incident, sources said, as two maritime security firms, including Greece-based Diaplous, prepared to mount a rescue mission for the crew trapped on Eternity C.
An official with Aspides, the European Union's mission assigned to help protect Red Sea shipping, also said at least two other crew were injured. Earlier, Liberia's shipping delegation told a U.N. meeting that two crew were killed.
The Houthis released a video they said depicted their attack on the Magic Seas, including the Mayday call, explosions, and the vessel's ultimate submersion. Reuters could not independently verify the footage.
The vessel's manager said the information about the sinking could not be verified.
But Joshua Hutchinson, managing director of maritime security firm Ambrey, told Reuters it had a response vessel in the area and confirmed the Magic Seas had gone down.
All crew on the Magic Seas were rescued by a passing merchant vessel and arrived safely in Djibouti on Monday, Djibouti authorities said.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have disrupted commerce by launching hundreds of drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel.
While the Houthis struck a ceasefire with Washington in May, the militia has vowed to keep attacking ships it says are connected with Israel.
"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 ... causing the death of two seafarers," Liberia's delegation told a session of the International Maritime Organization.