RED SEA ATTACK : 10 Seafarers Rescued from MV Eternity C, 11 Crew Missing.

No fewer than ten seafarers’ have been rescued from the ill-fated MV Eternity C, reports suggest.

EUNAVFOR Aspides said three Filipino crew members and a private maritime security contractor have been rescued from the waters around Eternity C, bringing to 10 the total number of souls onboard rescued since the ship was attacked.

The EU naval operation said the rescues were carried out overnight on July 9 and 10, and that it continued to participate in coordinating willing actors in the area taking part in the search and rescue mission.

The Houthi attacked Eternity C with unmanned surface vessels and six cruise and ballistic missiles on July 7, disabling the ship. The attack was renewed on July 8 with skiffs surrounding the ship, according to a UKMTO report. The ship sank on July 9 and the event was captured on video by the Houthi.

There were 25 people onboard the vessel, four of whom are believed to have died in the attack. The Houthi claim to have rescued six crew members, given them medical attention and taken them “to a safe location”, although it remains unclear how the militant group will handle those seafarers.

The group held the crew of hijacked car carrier Galaxy Leader hostage for 14 months, releasing the 25 seafarers in January this year after the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The Houthi claim to be targeting international shipping with links to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The group said it targeted Eternity C as the ship’s owner company had resumed operations with the Red Sea port of Umm al-Rashrah, known as Eilat by Israel, in contravention of Houthi sanctions.

If confirmed, the deaths in the Eternity C attack would be the first in the Red Sea crisis since a seafarer was killed on Tutor in June 2024. Three seafarers were also killed by the group in the attack on True Confidence in March 2024.

The Houthi issued a warning to maritime companies to abide by its blockade of Israeli ports, and that any attempt to cover up Israeli port calls or deceive Houthi forces will “be met with further disciplinary actions.” The group have said that ships without ties to Israel are free to transit the Red Sea and surrounding area.

The Houthi attack on Eternity C, and on Magic Seas a day earlier, have attracted widespread condemnation from across the shipping industry and governments. The attacks on both ships and their subsequent sinkings marks a dramatic escalation in the targeting of merchant ships in the Red Sea after a period of quiet for the first six months of 2025.