| Attacks on the MVEternity C | |
|---|---|
| Part of theRed Sea crisis, Houthi attacks on commercial vessels andMiddle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |
| Location | Red Sea |
| Date | 7–8 July 2025 |
| Target | MVEternity C |
| Weapons | |
| Deaths | 15 (including 11 presumed dead) |
| Perpetrators |  Houthis |
On 7 July 2025, theHouthis attackedMVEternity C, a Liberia-flaggedbulk carrier, in the southernRed Sea on route fromBerbera, Somalia, where it has been delivering aid. The vessel was assaulted withsea drones androcket-propelled grenades and was seriously damaged. The attacks killed, injured, or resulted in the kidnapping more than 25 Filipino, Greek, and Russian crew members. The vessel was abandoned and sank shortly after the attacks. Four people have been confirmed killed. Ten crew members were rescued and eleven others were reported missing.
The Houthis stated they attackedEternity C because the vessel's operator continues to make port visits to Israel with other ships,[1] and that they took an unspecified number of crew to a "safe location", although the United States stated the Houthis had taken the crew hostage.[2] The vessel isregistered inMonrovia, and owned and managed by Cosmo Ship Management ofAthens, Greece.[3]
During the same period, the merchant shipMagic Seas was hijacked and sunk by the Houthis after an attack.
Since November 2023, theHouthis, whocaptured the capital of Yemen in 2014 during thecountry's civil war, have conducted attacks against merchant and naval vessels they claim are linked to Israel, mainly in theRed Sea andGulf of Aden.[4] The Houthis state the attacks are carried out in solidarity with thePalestinians in theGaza war. The attacks sparkedairstrikes led by the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom against targets inHouthi-controlled territory in Yemen.[5]
The attacks forced companies to halt shipping in the Red Sea, which previously accounted for 12% of global trade.[6][7]
MVEternity C was abulk carrier which sailed under the flag of Liberia. The ship had completed a humanitarian delivery for theWorld Food Programme toBerbera, Somalia, where it has arrived in late June and left around noon on 6 June, and was heading toJeddah, Saudi Arabia, to refuel.[8][9][10]
Eternity C was attacked by Houthisea drones androcket-propelled grenades fired fromskiffs in the afternoon of 7 July 2025. The vessel was attacked again on 8 July 2025 at night, forcing the crew to jump into the water.[11] Asearch and rescue operation was executed. The fate of the ship's 22 crew and three-person security team remains unclear.Reuters reported that two crew members were injured and one Russian and three Filipinos were killed in the attack and its aftermath.[11]
According to US officials, there were 25 people on board ofEternity C.[12]
According to anUKMTO notice on 9 July 2025 five crew members had been rescued since search and rescue operations began overnight. Reuters reports that the rescued included four crew members and oneprivate maritime security contractor, who were pulled from the water after more than 24 hours in the sea.[13] Later that day, according toThe Guardian, seven crew members have been rescued and 14 others were still missing at that day.[11] By 10 July, ten crew members were rescued. The Houthis claimed to have kidnapped mariners but offered no evidence.[14] According to US sources and Houthis officials a number of the surviving crew members were abducted by the Houthis. The US demanded their immediate release.[12][15]
TheEU militaryOperation Aspides announced on 11 July 2025 that four more sailors from the ship had been rescued. 11 people remain missing or kidnapped.[15]
On July 13, search and rescue operations for the missing crew was called off, with all being presumed dead.[16]
On July 28, the Houthis released apropaganda video, which was posted later inX,[17] allegedly showing ten crew members of theEternity C being held.[18] Among them are nine Filipinos[17] and a Russian electrician who had lost his leg onboard the ship.[19] The video claimed that the rebels rescued the crew, pulling them from the sea,[20] as reportedly detailed by the latter.[18] According to the rebels, eleven crew members were rescued, including the two injured who were treated, and another who later died.[20] TheDepartment of Foreign Affairs in thePhilippines later said that a Filipino and a foreign personnel were injured, and these Filipino sailors were moved to rebel-controlledSana'a.[21]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
