Rescuers save four more survivors from Houthi-struck ship in Red Sea, 10 still missing, operator says

By Renee Maltezou and Jonathan Saul

ATHENS/LONDON (Reuters) -Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.

It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world.

Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C's complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said. 

Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats.

On Thursday, the Greek operator of the vessel, Cosmoship Management, confirmed that so far ten people have been rescued - eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. Ten remain unaccounted for, including one guard, it said.

One person is believed dead and another four have not been seen since the attack on the ship, the company added.

If confirmed, the casualties would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.

The crew were forced to jump into the water, following a second attack on the vessel on Tuesday morning. Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning. The four people rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water.

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 United States Mission to Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate, unconditional safe release.

"We understand that the Houthis have picked up some people and we are working through multiple channels as a matter of priority to verify this information," Cosmoship Management said.

Rescuers are continuing their search, said Cosmoship, which has asked vessels passing in the area to assist in that effort.

FRAUGHT PASSAGE

Eternity C had delivered a cargo for the UN World Food Program to Berbera, Somalia, and was sailing in ballast condition to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for fuel at the time of the first attack on Monday, the operator said.

The vessel went down on Wednesday, days after Houthis hit and sank 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. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank.

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.

"These are blameless victims who were simply doing their job," the UK-based Seafarers' Charity association said.

"Seafarers should be able to work safely at sea. Instead, they are being unfairly forced into the firing line."   

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 on Thursday.

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.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis in Athens, Jonathan Saul in London, Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Renee Maltezou, Jonathan Saul, Andrew Mills and Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson and Diane Craft)