Latest news with #VanguardTech
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Seafarers from cargo ship attacked by Houthis rescued after 48 hours in water
Four seafarers have been rescued after spending more than 48 hours in the waters of the Red Sea, as the search continued for the remaining crew of the Greek ship Eternity C, which was sunk by Houthi militants in an attack that killed at least four people. Thursday's rescue brought the number of those saved to 10 – eight Filipino crew, one Indian security guard and a Greek guard. Four members of the 25-member crew – three Filipinos and one Russian – were killed in the Houthi attacks. Eleven people were still missing, six of whom are believed to have been kidnapped by the Houthis, maritime security sources told Reuters. 'We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for,' said Ellie Shafik, the head of intelligence at the UK-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech. 'Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved.' The Eternity C was the second ship sunk by the Houthis this week, breaking a May ceasefire with the US that was predicated on an end to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Houthi forces also sank the Greek-owned Magic Seas on Sunday, but all the crew were rescued. The last time the Houthis attacked a merchant ship was last December, coinciding with a Gaza ceasefire. Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy to Yemen, said: 'We are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea, with attacks on two commercial ships, with civilian loss of life and casualties, as well as the potential for environmental damage.' The US mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and called for their release. The Houthis first attacked the Eternity C on Monday with bombs, sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats. Footage released by the Houthis showed a surface-to-surface missile being fired to screams of 'death to Israel' and a large cloud of black smoke billowing from the Eternity C. The ship was attacked again on Tuesday night, forcing the crew to jump into the water as Houthi skiffs circled the vessel. On Wednesday, the Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said its navy had rescued members of the ship's crew, given them medical care and taken them to a 'safe location'. The Houthis previously held the crew of another ship they attacked, the Galaxy Leader, for more than a year. The Houthis have said their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians and a means of putting pressure on Israel to stop the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 people over the past 21 months. The Houthi militia leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, said on Thursday that no company could be permitted to transport goods related to Israel through designated areas at sea. He reiterated that a Houthi ban on navigation that the group sees as associated with Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea would remain in place. The Houthis have also regularly launched ballistic missiles at Israel, the vast majority of which have been intercepted by Israel's missile defence system. Early on Thursday morning, the Houthis said they had attempted to hit Ben Gurion airport in Israel with a ballistic missile, which the Israeli military said it had intercepted. The Houthis had threatened to resume maritime attacks on any Israeli-owned ships as the US considered firing missiles at Iran, which it eventually did on 22 June, striking three Iranian nuclear sites. The Iran-backed group then followed through on its threat by sinking the Magic Seas on Sunday and the Eternity C, neither of which were linked to Israel but which the Houthis claimed were heading to ports in the country. It was unclear how the US would respond to this week's attacks in the Red Sea, which not only interrupted months of calm in the area but were also the first time that the Houthis had killed seafarers in more than a year. The Red Sea is a vital shipping route, carrying about a third of the world's total container traffic. By the end of 2024, traffic through the Red Sea had declined by about 75%, according to the World Bank, a result of the Houthi attacks on shipping vessels starting in November 2023. The resumption of attacks has caused anxiety among maritime merchants, with at least one Hong Kong-flagged ship, Blossom Glory, listing its destination as 'NO ISRAEL US EU LINK' as it passed by Yemen on Tuesday. Other ships listed similar destination ports.
Dubai Eye
3 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Rescuers save 4 more survivors from Houthi-struck ship in Red Sea, 11 still missing
Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi rebels sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing. It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by Houthis, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world. Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C's complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said. "We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for," Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with UK-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech, said. "Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved." Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people were believed to have been killed in the attacks, maritime security sources say. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024. Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning. The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters' requests for comment. A total of 10 survivors from the Eternity C have been rescued so far - eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The four people rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water. "This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct," said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous. Another 11 people are still missing. The US' Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate, unconditional release. On Wednesday, the Houthis' military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had "responded to rescue a number of the ship's crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location". FRAUGHT PASSAGE The Eternity C sank on Wednesday, days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked in what the group said was solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war. Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down. Some of their sister vessels in the respective fleets had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, an analysis of shipping data showed. The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 32 vessels on July 9 from 43 on July 1, data from maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence. The situation has become so fraught that many of the ships sailing on Thursday broadcast public messages referring to Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. One vessel broadcast a message which said it had no relation with Israel.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Rescuers pluck 4 survivors from the water after Houthi-struck ship sinks in Red Sea
Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing. It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world. Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C's complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said. "We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for," Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with U.K.-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech, said. "Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved." Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people were believed to have been killed in the attacks, maritime security sources say. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024. Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning. The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters' requests for comment. A total of 10 survivors from the Eternity C have been rescued so far — eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The four people rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water. "This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct," said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous. Another 11 people are still missing. The United States' Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate, unconditional release. On Wednesday, the Houthis' military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had "responded to rescue a number of the ship's crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location." Fraught passage The Eternity C sank on Wednesday, days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked in what the group said was solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war. Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down. Some of their sister vessels in the respective fleets had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, an analysis of shipping data showed. The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 32 vessels on July 9 from 43 on July 1, according to maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence. The situation has become so fraught that many of the ships sailing on Thursday broadcast public messages referring to Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. One vessel broadcast a message which said it had no relation with Israel.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Another four people rescued in Red Sea after Houthi attack on Greek cargo ship
Four seafarers were rescued on Thursday after spending more than 48 hours in the waters of the Red Sea, as the search continued for the remaining crew of the Greek ship Eternity C, sank by the Houthis in an attack that killed at least four people. Thursday's rescue brought the total number of those saved to 10, including eight Filipino crew, one Indian and another Greek security guard. Four members of the 25-member crew, three Filipinos and one Russian, were killed in the Houthi attacks. Eleven people were still missing, six of whom are believed to have been kidnapped by the Houthis, maritime security sources told Reuters. 'We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for,' Ellie Shafik, the head of intelligence with UK-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech, said. 'Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved.' The Eternity C was the second ship sank by the Houthis this week,breaking a May ceasefire with the US that was predicated on an end to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Houthi forces also sunk the Greek-owned Magic Seas on Sunday, with all the crew rescued. The last time the Houthis attacked a merchant ship was in December 2024, coinciding with a Gaza ceasefire. 'We are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships, with civilian loss of life and casualties, as well as the potential for environmental damage,' said Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy to Yemen. The US mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and called for their release. The Houthis first attacked the Eternity C on Monday with bombs, sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Footage released by the Houthis showed a surface-to-surface missile being fired to the screams of 'death to Israel!' and a large cloud of black smoke billowing from the Eternity C. The ship was attacked again on Tuesday night, forcing the crew to jump into the water, as Houthi skiffs circled the vessel. On Wednesday, the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said that its navy had rescued members of the ship's crew, given them medical care and taken them to a 'safe location.' The Houthis had previously held the crew of another ship it attacked, the Galaxy Leader, for over a year. The Houthis have said that their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians and a means of pressuring Israel to stop the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 people over the last 21 months. The Houthis have also regularly launched ballistic missiles at Israel, the vast majority of which have been intercepted by the country's missile defence system. Early on Thursday morning, the Houthis said that they had attempted to hit Ben Gurion airport in Israel with a ballistic missile, which the Israeli military said they had intercepted. The Houthis had threatened to resume maritime attacks on any Israeli-owned ships as the US considered firing missiles at Iran, which it eventually did on 22 June, striking three Iranian nuclear sites. The Iran-backed group then followed through on its threat by sinking the Greek-owned Magic Seas on Sunday and the Eternity C, neither of which were linked to Israel but the Houthis claimed were heading to ports in the country. It was unclear how the US would respond to this week's attacks in the Red Sea, which not only interrupted months of calm in the area but also were the first time that seafarers were killed by the Houthis in over a year. The Red Sea is a vital shipping route, carrying about a third of the world's total container traffic. By the end of 2024, traffic through the Red Sea had declined by about 75%, a result of the Houthi attacks on shipping vessels starting in November 2023, according to the World Bank. The resumption of attacks caused anxiety among maritime merchants, with at least one Hong Kong flagged ship Blossom Glory listing its destination as 'NO ISRAEL US EU LINK' as it passed by Yemen on Tuesday, with other ships listing similar destination ports.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rescuers save four more survivors from Houthi-struck ship in Red Sea, 11 still missing
By Renee Maltezou and Jonathan Saul ATHENS (Reuters) -Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing. It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world. Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C's complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said. "We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for," Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with UK-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech, said. "Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved." Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people were believed to have been killed in the attacks, maritime security sources say. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024. Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning. The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters' requests for comment. A total of 10 survivors from the Eternity C have been rescued so far - eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The four people rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water. "This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct," said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous. Another 11 people are still missing. The United States' Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate, unconditional release. On Wednesday, the Houthis' military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had "responded to rescue a number of the ship's crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location". FRAUGHT PASSAGE The Eternity C sank on Wednesday, days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked in what the group said was solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war. Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down. Some of their sister vessels in the respective fleets had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, an analysis of shipping data showed. The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 32 vessels on July 9 from 43 on July 1, data from maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence. The situation has become so fraught that many of the ships sailing on Thursday broadcast public messages referring to Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. One vessel broadcast a message which said it had no relation with Israel.
