The Eternity C – which was carrying grain to Somalia for the World Food Programme – was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats.
Several people are 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 Houthis released footage of missiles being launched at the ship, with drone imagery showing its bridge appearing heavily damaged and oil leaking from the hull.
The bulk carrier took on water from holes along its waterline before sinking, as the rebels chanted: “God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam.”
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Greece’s Cosmoship Management – the manager of the Eternity C – on Thursday said one person was believed dead and four more had not been seen since the ship sank. It said it was also working to provide families with timely updates and had asked all ships in the area to assist in the search.
Cosmoship said 10 people who fled the sinking ship remained unaccounted and that the company was working through multiple channels to verify a Houthi claim that the group had picked up some crew.
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”.
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. 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 Houthis used missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire to target the Magic Seas, said the UK Maritime Trade Operations, a liaison between the British Navy and commercial shipping.
The attackers released another dramatic video of that assault, showing masked gunmen storming the ship before sinking it with explosive charges. Twenty-two people on board were rescued, the United Arab Emirates said.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi fighters, reiterated in a televised address on Thursday the group’s ban on companies transporting goods related to Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
He said this week’s attacks were part of that ban, which has been in place since 2023.
“It was never stopped or cancelled, and it is a valid decision,” he said. “What was discovered (this week) was the violation by some companies of the decision.”
The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week’s attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages, industry sources said.
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, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data showed.
Several ships on Thursday broadcast messages referring to Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board, according to MarineTraffic data. One vessel broadcast that it had no relation with Israel.
The Red Sea is a crucial maritime trade route where $US1 trillion in cargo once passed through annually.
From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones in a campaign the rebels describe as supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war.
The Iranian-backed rebels stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of several weeks of bombing ordered by US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, a new possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war – as well as the future of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program – remain in the balance.
