Four sailors were killed and two were injured when the Liberian-flagged cargo ship Eternity C came under attack late Monday in the Red Sea.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that the Greek-operated ship, carrying 22 crew members – 21 Filipinos and one Russian, sustained “significant damage and lost all propulsion” after being struck by rocket-propelled grenades launched from small boats, approximately 51 nautical miles west of Hudaydah, Yemen.
20250708-UKMTO_WARNING_INCIDENT_027-25-UPDATE 002https://t.co/yo0ifPJJjr#MaritimeSecurity #MARSEC pic.twitter.com/3NPnthXFLl
— UKMTO Ops Centre (@UK_MTO) July 8, 2025
Maritime security sources told Reuters that the Eternity C is now adrift and listing.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred a day after Yemen’s Houthi movement said it had launched missiles and sea drones at another Liberian-flagged cargo ship, the Magic Seas, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel.
Although no formal claim has been made, both the U.S. Embassy in Yemen blamed the Houthis for the attack. “The Houthis are once again showing blatant disregard for human life,” the embassy said Tuesday, calling it the group’s “most violent attack to date.”
The fatalities aboard the Eternity C mark the first deaths linked to Red Sea shipping since June 2024.
They bring the total number of crew members killed in attacks in the region to six since November 2023, when the Houthis began targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
