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Four crew killed and more missing as second bulker comes under fire in Red Sea
Reuters said in an update that four crew members have died from an attack on Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C, with others still missing, according to UKMTO
A second bulker has come under attack in the Red Sea in as many days in what Greek maritime security firm Diaplous described as "a repetitive, deliberate and co-ordinated militant operation, likely executed by Houthi-aligned forces".
The attack on Liberia-flagged, Greek-managed Handysize bulk carrier Eternity C, has left the vessel adrift and under continued attack, according to UK-based maritime security firm Ambrey.
"Ambrey received information that the bulk carrier had lost propulsion. The vessel was reportedly under continuous attack by skiffs in the vicinity," the firm’s update from 10:25 UK time said.
At least four fatalities and more crew with injuries have been reported aboard the Eternity C, according to maritime security outlets and news outlet Reuters, citing an official with knowledge of the most recent death.
An earlier update from International Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez confirmed three deaths had resulted from the incident.
Liberia’s representative to IMO, international human rights lawyer Robert Wilmot Kpadeh, had earlier confirmed in a statement at IMO’s global council meeting that two of the Cosmoship-managed vessel’s crew had been killed.
"While Liberia was processing the shock and the grief of the attack on Magic Seas, we received a report last evening that Eternity [C] has been attacked, attacked horribly, and causing the death of two seafarers. We want to express our condolences to the families and send our prayers to them. We also want to re-emphasise that it is totally unacceptable, unwarranted and illogical for ships to be attacked on political grounds," Mr Kpadeh told the UN’s specialised agency for maritime regulation.
In a later update, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) unit of the UK’s Royal Navy said that third-party reports on Eternity C’s status said that the vessel had been under heavy fire and continuous attack for several hours overnight from 7-8 July.
"The Company Security Officer reports the vessel has been attacked by five rocket propelled grenades and is being approached by multiple small craft," UKMTO said in its first update. Later, UKMTO said "the vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion. The vessel is surrounded by small craft and is under continuous attack."
In an update from early on 9 July, UKMTO said search and rescue operations had commenced overnight, with five crew members rescued and the search continuing for those who remain missing.
In the wake of the renewed attacks in the Red Sea, secretary-general Dominguez called the attacks deplorable and underscored the victims of the attacks and their environmental impacts are primarily innocent civilians.
"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. Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause. Constructive dialogue is the solution to resolving ongoing geopolitical crises affecting seafarers and international shipping," the secretary-general said.
In addition to the skiffs involved, Diaplous said the assault on 36,800-dwt Eternity C involved at least two drones, four rocket-propelled grenades and "intense firing".
At the time of the attack, Eternity C was transiting northbound the southern Red Sea, according to Diaplous, and the firm said, while the vessel does not have direct ties to Israeli interests, its targeting was "likely linked to the operator’s or affiliated vessels’ previous port calls at Israeli ports".
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 in recent days.
On 7 July, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree’s social media account on X posted that the bulk carrier targeted by Houthis in a 6 July attack, Magic Seas has sunk "completely in the depths of the sea after our armed forces targeted it in response to the company that owns it, repeated violations of the ban on entry to the ports of occupied Palestine".
Multiple maritime security services confirmed the location and details of the 6 July attack on vessel Magic Seas, which saw the 2016-built Ultramax bulker take fire from multiple small ships using a variety of weapons against the 63,000-dwt vessel.
"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 UKMTO 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 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 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.
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