Attack In Red Sea Leaves Two Crew Members Dead, Others Injured

A deadly strike targeting the Liberian-flagged and Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C has claimed the lives of two crew members and wounded at least two more. The vessel came under attack near Yemen, marking a violent resurgence of maritime hostilities in the Red Sea.

According to Liberia’s delegation at a United Nations maritime gathering, the attack involved both sea drones and armed speedboats, and occurred just hours after a separate assault on another Liberia-registered, Greek-managed ship in the same region. This is the second such maritime incident reported in a single day after months of reduced activity.

The Red Sea, a vital corridor for global energy and goods, has seen a major decline in commercial traffic since November 2023 when the Houthis, a Yemeni armed group backed by Iran, began targeting vessels in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The deadly attack on Eternity C marks the first fatal incident involving merchant shipping in the area since June 2024. This raises the total number of seafarers killed in Red Sea-related maritime assaults to six.

Prior to the Eternity C incident, the Houthis claimed they had targeted the MV Magic Seas, another Liberian-flagged, Greek-run cargo vessel, allegedly sinking it during a strike off Yemen’s southwestern coast. However, no official confirmation regarding the ship’s sinking has been made.

All individuals aboard the Magic Seas were rescued by another merchant ship in the vicinity and have since arrived safely in Djibouti.

The Houthis have not issued any statements regarding the attack on the Eternity C.

“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, attacked horribly and causing the death of two seafarers,” Liberia’s delegation told a session of the United Nations shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization, held in London this week.

Since the Houthis began their maritime campaign in late 2023, they have launched hundreds of aerial and sea-based weapons at passing vessels, claiming they are focused on ships tied to Israel.

Although a ceasefire agreement was reached with the United States in May, Houthi leadership has remained defiant, vowing to continue attacking vessels they suspect are affiliated with Israel.

“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.

“Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause.”

Both ships involved in the recent incidents have been linked to commercial shipping lines with records of docking in Israeli ports within the past year.

“The pause in Houthi activity did not necessarily indicate a change in underlying intent. As long as the conflict in Gaza persists, vessels with affiliations, both perceived and actual, will continue to face elevated risks,” said Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with the Britain-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech.

Additional injuries were reported among Eternity C’s crew, as confirmed by the vessel’s operator and maritime safety sources. The ship was said to be listing following the impact of the attack.

The bulk carrier had 22 people aboard, 21 Filipino nationals and one Russian when it was struck. According to maritime security insiders, the assailants used unmanned sea vehicles and rocket-propelled grenades launched from small, crewed speedboats.

In light of the situation, the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers advised Filipino seafarers who make up a significant portion of the global shipping workforce to consider declining assignments through high-risk maritime zones like the Red Sea.

The volume of shipping through this crucial trade corridor has fallen by roughly half since the first wave of Houthi assaults began last year, noted a senior official from a global shipping safety organization.

“This reduction in traffic has persisted due to the ongoing unpredictability of the security situation. As such, BIMCO does not anticipate the recent attacks will significantly alter current shipping patterns,” Larsen said.

The latest strike occurred approximately 50 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, and is being reported as only the second such incident in the region involving merchant shipping since November 2024, according to an official involved in the European Union’s naval protection mission.