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Eternity C shipmanagers respond to Houthi video of captive survivors
Houthi military release a heavily edited video purported to be ’testimonies’ from crew members who survived the militia’s attack on a civilian merchant vessel
The Greek shipmanagement company of Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C has responded to a Houthi propaganda video showing footage and interviews with what the Yemeni militia group claim are crew the group ’rescued’.
Houthi media and social media outlets said the videos contain ’crew testimonies’ about the vessel’s movements prior to the Houthis’ prolonged, close-poximity naval attacks on the civilian vessel that resulted in multiple merchant seafarers killed, wounded and missing and the intentional scuttling of the vessel with explosives.
"Cosmoship Management is deeply relieved to see in video footage released by the Houthis on 28 July 2025, that 10 of our missing crew members, as well as one of the vessel’s security guards (11 in total), are alive and appear to be receiving care. This confirmation brings great comfort to all of us at Cosmoship, and especially to the families who have waited anxiously for news," the company said in an emailed statement.
"Our sympathies are with the families of the two crew members who have been confirmed dead and two others who are now sadly feared dead. The loss of these seafarers is profoundly felt by the Cosmoship team. We are providing every support to their families at this distressing time."
The company said it is continuing to work through every available channel to support the crew’s "continued care and to facilitate their safe and swift return home to their families".
"We call on all parties to assist in reuniting the 11 individuals with their loved ones and hope that the Houthis will release our crew at the earliest opportunity," Cosmoship Management’s statement said.
There were 22 crew and three guards onboard Eternity C, according to Cosmoship Management. Of those on board, 10 were rescued by search and rescue teams engaged by the shipmanagement company in the aftermath of the Houthi attack on the vessel. If the heavily edited Houthi proof of life video is genuine, the additional 10 crew and one security guard claimed to be in Houthi custody would take the total number of survivors to 21, with two confirmed deaths and two missing and suspected dead.
In the hours since they released the video, Houthi military claim to have launched an attack on Israeli targets. Israeli military have confirmed the attacks on social media platform X.
Houthis threaten further escalation in violence against commercial shipping
The Houthis have also released a statement saying they will target any ship with any business ties to Israel or Israeli ports. Both vessels, Eternity C and Magic Seas, that the Houthis attacked in early July 2025 were Greek-owned commercial ships sailing under Liberian flags in the Red Sea, and Houthi spokespeople claimed the vessels’ owners had visited Israeli ports.
The Houthis subjected Magic Seas to a prolonged attack with small boats, ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, with the crew abandoning the vessel, which eventually sank.The European Joint Naval initiative EUNAVFOR ATALANTA said the EU’s navy unit helped to ensure the safe recovery of all 22 personnel from the abandoned Magic Seas.
A separate Houthi video released on 28 July listed claimed "violations by Cosmoship Management" of what the Houthis call the "Yemeni Armed Forces ban decision". The video shows two Cosmoship-managed vessels,2,556-TEU container vessel HSL Nike and 28,400-dwt bulker Faith, and an apparent list of dates the vessels have visited Israeli ports.
In early July, the US State Department’s ambassador to Yemen and Yemeni Affairs Unit, operating out of the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia released a statement on X claiming that several of the surviving crew from Eternity C had been ’kidnapped’. A Houthi spokesperson on X claimed its navy had rescued several of the ship’s crew, given them medical care and taken them to a "safe location".
Houthi media channels utilised similar video propaganda in the militia group’s first high-profile attack on commercial shipping in November 2023, when helicopters were used to board pure car and truck carrier Galaxy Leader, owned by the Israeli Abraham Rami Ungar-controlled Ray Car Carriers, which was then hijacked and taken, with its 25 crew, to Yemen. The hijacked crew were eventually released in January 2025. In early July 2025, the Israel Defense Force launched airstrikes on three of Yemen’s ports and a power plant as well as the hijacked vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader.
Following the hijacking of Galaxy Leader, during the more than 12 months of regular missile attacks on commercial shipping targets transiting the Red Sea between late 2023 and early 2025, video propaganda was not in regular use by Houthi forces. A brief and fragile ceasefire on Israeli strikes on Gaza and a later Houthi-US ceasefire agreement saw Houthi attacks on commercial shipping targets cease for a short period before the July 2025 attacks on Magic Seas and Eternity C.
The Houthi hostage footage following the sinking of the Eternity C underscores escalating maritime security threats. These issues are reflected in Session 1: SAFETY, SECURITY AND REGULATORY READINESS FOR 2030 at the International Bulk Shipping Conference 2025. View the full programme here.
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