Maritime security and risk management firms Ambrey and Diaplous had launched a mission on Wednesday July 9th to evacuate the crew of the bulk carrier Eternity C (IMO 9588249), which was hit by Houthi rebels off Yemen two days ago, reported Reuters, citing sources close to the mission.
Rescuers pulled six crew members alive from the Red Sea on Wednesday, but 15 were still missing from the Eternity C. There had originally been 25 crew on board, but four were killed during the attack or died shortly after as a result of their wounds.
The Eternity C was the second of two ships sunk in recent days in attacks claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia after months of calm.
The Eternity C was attacked on Monday July 7th with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) that were fired from manned speed boats. It was the second assault by Houthis after an attack on the Magic Seas – itself the first attack by the Houthis on vessels in the Red Sea since late 2024.
The four fatalities were the first involving shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024, doubling to eight the total number of merchant seaman deaths in the Red Sea since the Houthis began their campaign in late 2023.
The Houthis claimed that they had “rescued” a number of the crew. “The Yemeni Navy responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location,” the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised address.
UKMTO said that SAR operations were continuing in the area.
Lifeboats were destroyed during the attack, meaning that there was no safe way for the crew to abandon the vessel safely. On Wednesday morning the ship sank. The six seafarers who were rescued had spent more than 24 hours in the water, the rescue team said. It had devolved to private enterprise because of a lack of western naval assets in the area.
An official at maritime risk management firm Diaplous said that “it is an operation to rescue the crew, some of whom are injured and need assistance, and collect the bodies of the seafarers who lost their lives. We aim at a peaceful operation”, adding that the mission was launched with British security firm Ambrey. As they approached the vessel, some of the crew were in the water in life jackets, the official said.
“We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light,” said an official at Diaplous.
The Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and RPGs fired from speed boats by suspected Yemen-based Houthi militants, maritime security sources said. Lifeboats were destroyed during the raid. By Tuesday morning the vessel was adrift and listing.
Two security sources told Reuters that the vessel was hit again with sea drones on Tuesday, forcing the crew and armed guards to abandon it. The Houthis stayed with the vessel until the early hours of Wednesday, one of the sources said.
Separately, Greek government officials have launched diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, to help salvage the vessel, according to sources.
2012-built, Liberia-flagged, 22,683 gt Eternity C is owned by Guildford Navigation SA care of manager Cosmoship Management SA of Piraeus, Greece. It is entered with London Club on behalf of Guildford Navigation. It had most recently been recorded as in the Red Sea, having left Berbera, Somalia, on June 30th .