Houthis attack ship in Red Sea again

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The European Union's naval mission to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, Operation Atalanta , said on Tuesday that the Houthis had again attacked a ship in the Red Sea , leaving two people injured and two missing.

According to the EU force, the Greek cargo ship Eternity C had a crew of 21 Filipinos and one Russian on board, as well as three security agents, when it was attacked.

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier had not requested an escort before passing through the crucial sea route for world trade, the force added.

The EU mission and private security firm Ambrey said the cargo ship was heading north toward the Suez Canal when it was attacked by men in small boats and explosive drones. Security personnel on board responded with gunfire.

Moammar al-Eryani, information minister for Yemen's internationally recognized government, which opposes the Houthis and is based in the south of the country, also blamed the rebels for the attack on the Eternity C.

The Houthis control the northern half of Yemen and the capital, Sanaa.

The attack on the Eternity C came a day after another attack forced Operation Atalanta to rescue the 22 crew members of the Magic Seas, a Liberian-flagged ship southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida.

The EU on Monday called for an end to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, which it said represented a “serious escalation” that put global maritime security at risk.

“This is the first attack of its kind on a commercial vessel in 2025, a serious escalation that jeopardizes maritime security in a vital waterway for the region and the world,” said a spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS), headed by European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas.

These attacks, the spokesperson warned, “directly threaten regional peace and stability, global trade and freedom of navigation as a global public good. And they could negatively affect the already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen. These attacks must stop .”

The attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier “Magic Seas” has caused a serious ecological catastrophe in the region, as the ship is adrift and at risk of sinking, added the EEAS spokesperson, who condemned the action “in the strongest terms”.

The attack involving two vessels, five ballistic and cruise missiles and three drones took place about 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Houthi-held port city of Al Hodeida.

Yemeni rebels, backed by Iran, have launched hundreds of attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, in solidarity with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.