Houthis resume strikes on commercial shipping with prolonged attack on bulker

• Two crew reportedly killed as second bulker in two days comes under fire in Red Sea

Bulk carrier Magic Seas has been attacked while transiting the Red Sea near Yemen. 

Multiple maritime security services confirmed the location and details of the attack, which saw 2016-built Ultramax bulker Magic Seas take fire from multiple small ships using a variety of weapons against the 63,000-dwt vessel. 

"Earlier today, Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas was attacked off Hodeidah [Yemen]. Following RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] and missile attacks, the vessel flooded and the crew abandoned ship," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) unit of the UK’s Royal Navy said.

According to a maritime security advisory from Greece-based Diaplous Group, Greek-owned Magic Seas was transiting the southern Red Sea at around 13:30 local time on 6 July, when the vessel came under a "sustained and co-ordinated attack"’ that lasted until approximately 17:30, local time.

"The assault involved eight skiffs and four unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Two of the USVs were neutralised at close range (approximately 100 m off the port side) by defensive fire from the vessel’s security team. The remaining two USVs impacted the ship, one amidships on the starboard side, igniting a fire in the cargo hold, and the other at the aft port quarter, causing limited flooding in the steering gear compartment," the Diaplous report said.

Despite the vessel’s embedded security team, UK-based maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said the incident underscored the importance of thorough risk assessments and pointed out "the vessel’s affiliation to Israel". Vanguard Tech also confirmed the attacks caused the "vessel to flood and the crew to abandon ship", which included 19 crew and three security personnel.

A report from 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 by establishing direct communication with the Designated Person Ashore of the company operating a passing merchant vessel that rescued the crew.

"Following the rescue, ATALANTA liaised with the Djibouti Coast Guard to ensure the smooth co-ordination of the crew’s disembarkation," the unit said. UKMTO later confirmed crew were "well and safe".

Diaplous praised the tactics of Magic Seas’ embedded security team, saying they "successfully repelled multiple attack waves under intense fire," by "targeting and disabling two of the attacking USVs at close range, without targeting or escalating against any manned skiffs".

Diaplous noted the vessel is not directly affiliated with "Israeli interests" but that the Houthis were likely to have targeted the ship based on prior port calls at Israeli ports. 

Houthi social media accounts purportedly linked to the group’s spokespeople later claimed responsibility for the attack on Liberia-flagged Magic Seas and said the vessel had "violated the ban to the ports of occupied Palestine".

"The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm they will not hesitate to use appropriate force to prevent any ship belonging to [companies] that dealt with the Zionist enemy and violated the ban on access to occupied Palestine," Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree was quoted as saying. The Houthis said they will "continue to prevent Israeli navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea... until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted".

The Houthi attack on Magic Seas came shortly after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes on three of Yemen’s ports and a power plant as well as the hijacked vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader, which Houthi forces took in one of their first high-profile attacks on commercial shipping targets in late November, 2023. 

"IDF jets, guided by intelligence, struck Houthi terror targets at the ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa, Salif, and the Ras Kanatib Power Plant. The strikes targeted sites used to transfer Iranian weapons and attack Israeli civilians with UAVs and missiles. Among the targets: the Galaxy Leader ship seized by the Houthis in 2023 and fitted with a radar system to track international vessels for terror operations. The IDF will continue to act against threats to Israeli civilians – wherever required," the IDF said.