Situation in the Red Sea (Houthi Thread)

"Magic Seas" - Liberian-flagged, Greek owned and operated bulk carrier, sailing with a load of fertilizer from China to Egypt was attack in the Red Sea. She was approached by multiple small boats whose crews engaged the ship's security team in a firefight. The merchant vessel is on fire.
Seems like a hijacking attempt gone wrong.

According to the UKMTO report, “The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. Armed Security Team have returned fire and situation is ongoing.”
An update said the Company Security Officer confirmed that the vessel has been struck by unknown projectiles, resulting in a fire onboard.
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gcaptain.com

Fire Reported After Vessel Comes Under Attack in Red Sea

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center is reporting a maritime security incident in the Red Sea off Yemen, where a vessel came under attack approximately 51 nautical miles southwest...
gcaptain.com gcaptain.com
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Update:
I'm seeing reports that she was also attacked with naval drones and damaged. If confirmed then she might be at risk of sinking.
 
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The bulk carrier "Magic Seas" was abandoned by her crew, she's adrift and taking water after being hit by unmanned boats and allegedly missiles. The crew was picked by another merchant vessel. All crew members are accounted for and safe.
Houthi forces used four unmanned bomb boats against the Magic Seas. Two of the bomb boats were destroyed and two reached their target, according to EOS' Martin Kelly. The Houthis may also have launched missiles against the vessel, but this is not confirmed, he added. As of 1500 UTC on Sunday, the cargo was reportedly on fire and the ship was taking on water. The crew decided to abandon ship at about 1545 hours
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maritime-executive.com

Attack on Bulker Signals Restart of Houthis' Red Sea Campaign

Yemen's Houthi rebels appear to have resumed their campaign of attacks on shipping after a long hiatus. This weekend, a Liberian-flagged bulker wa...
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Israel carried out airstrikes against targets in Yemen.

Israel’s Minister of Defense: Yemen is like Tehran – the same rules apply. As part of Operation “Black Flag,” the IDF has just launched a powerful strike on terror targets belonging to the Houthi terror regime at the ports of Hudaydah, As-Salif, and Ras Issa, the Ras Katheeb power station, and the vessel Galaxy Leader, which was hijacked by the Houthis about two years ago and is now used for terrorist activity in the Red Sea.
As I warned: Yemen is like Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.
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Houthis officially took responsibility for yesterday's attack on the bulk carrier "Magic Seas" and claim (unconfirmed at the moment) that she sunk.

The Houthis have officially claimed responsibility for the "special military operation" targeting the ship Magic Seas, owned by a company accused of violating the ban on entering Israeli ports. The attack occurred in the Red Sea and was conducted using two unmanned explosive-laden boats (WBIEDs), five ballistic and cruise missiles, and three one-way attack drones.
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Houthi military spokesman: “By the grace and power of God, the Ship Magic Seas was completely sunk into the depths of the sea, after being targeted by our armed forces in response to the repeated violations by its owning company of the decision to ban entry into the ports of occupied Palestine.”
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"Magic Seas" crew arrived safely in Djibouti.
 
"Eternity C" - another Liberian-flagged, Greek owned and operated bulk carrier, came under attack in the Red Sea. 2 crew members were injured, 2 are missing. The ship received damage and according to some reports may be adrift.
The bulker Eternity C was transiting about 50 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah when she was assaulted by personnel in multiple skiffs. Initial reports indicated that two people were missing, two were injured, and the vessel had lost propulsion.
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maritime-executive.com

Yemen's Houthi Rebels Attack Second Bulker off Hodeidah

Another bulker has come under attack off the coast of Hodeidah, Yemen, according to maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech. The bulker Eterni...
maritime-executive.com maritime-executive.com
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Updates on the attacked bulk carriers.
1. "Magic Seas" - still no official confirmation of her sinking. Houthis announced they will release confirmation footage later today. A video taken by the crew before the evacuation, shows smoke rising from the cargo hold area, and rising water inside.


2. "Eternity C" - the ship is under continuous attacks from Houthi speedboats (small arms and RPG fire) and was also struck by 2 drones. 3 sailors have died, more were injured (2 severely). No update on the 2 reported missing. The ship itself received significant damage - she's adrift, taking water and listing. The crew is unable to evacuate because the lifeboats were destroyed by the assailants. A nearby merchant vessel "Baryon" attempted to assist, but was chased away by the Houthis.
www.lloydslist.com

Three dead and two injured as Houthi attacks continue

The remaining crew on board Eternity C have been unable to abandon ship due to the lifeboats being severely damaged by Houthi rockets
www.lloydslist.com www.lloydslist.com
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"Eternity C", the second bulk carrier attacked by the Houthis has sunk after repeated naval drone strikes. The crew unable to evacuate, jumped into the water. A rescue operation is in progress, although it's unclear who's carrying it out (some sources point to a Djibouti vessel). Of the 25 people aboard (22 sailors + 3 security guards) 4 have died during the attacks, 7 were rescued from the sea. 14 are still missing. There's risk that some of them could have been kidnapped by the Houthis.
 
TruckDriver9 said:
"Eternity C", the second bulk carrier attacked by the Houthis has sunk after repeated naval drone strikes. The crew unable to evacuate, jumped into the water. A rescue operation is in progress, although it's unclear who's carrying it out (some sources point to a Djibouti vessel). Of the 25 people aboard (22 sailors + 3 security guards) 4 have died during the attacks, 7 were rescued from the sea. 14 are still missing. There's risk that some of them could have been kidnapped by the Houthis.
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It seems like this case was far more aggressive in that the Houthis prevented the crew from evacuating, and killed a bunch. I understand that a few deaths and injuries have occurred from previous hits on cargo ships, but it didn't seem like the human casualties were the primary intent of the Houthis. The ships were the actual targets and the human casualties were collateral damage.

It seems like this time they have made an effort to maximize casualties. These crew members are not militants engaged on the side of the Israelis. They're just poor schlubs working in the shipping industry. This seems like a big escalation to me.
 
Thomas More said:
It seems like this case was far more aggressive in that the Houthis prevented the crew from evacuating, and killed a bunch. I understand that a few deaths and injuries have occurred from previous hits on cargo ships, but it didn't seem like the human casualties were the primary intent of the Houthis. The ships were the actual targets and the human casualties were collateral damage.

It seems like this time they have made an effort to maximize casualties. These crew members are not militants engaged on the side of the Israelis. They're just poor schlubs working in the shipping industry. This seems like a big escalation to me.
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Depends on whether they destroyed the lifeboats on purpose (trying to capture the crew from the start), or accidentally - shooting RPGs from speedboats at a moving target. Either way, once the lifeboats were gone they found themselves at an impasse - the crew afraid for their lives and with no way out wouldn't let them board - so the only thing they could do was to pound the ship until it went under. I'm more pissed at the Europeans, who have 4 warships, including a Greek (just like both attacked vessels) frigate in the area, and yet they did nothing to assist. And now the official channel of the EU operation Aspides posts about the value of their mission:
 
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Update on "Eternity C"
Houthis announced they "rescued" an unknown number of sailors from the water.
a statement from the Yemeni Armed Forces, a moniker used by the Houthis, said “a group of special forces from the Naval Forces moved to rescue several members of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location”.
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www.lloydslist.com

Houthis take ‘several’ of sunk bulker’s crew

UPDATED: A number of the crew from Eternity C who abandoned ship have been picked up by Houthi forces. The vessel was targeted because ships with the same owner continue to call at Israeli ports, the Houthis said in a statement
www.lloydslist.com www.lloydslist.com
 
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