The crew of the Greek-operated cargo ship Eternity C, which sank in the Red Sea in July after being attacked by Yemen’s Houthis, have been released, an official with the ship’s operator and a maritime security source told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Liberia-flagged vessel was abandoned before it went under, following repeated strikes by the Iran-aligned terrorists using sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades.
Rescuers pulled the crew alive from the waters, but the Houthis later announced they were holding a group of the seafarers, including one security guard. The United States Mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping them and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
According to Cosmoship Management, nine Filipino seafarers, one Russian, and one Indian national were expected to leave Yemen and arrive in Oman later on Wednesday.
Days before the Eternity C was struck, Houthis had targeted another vessel, the Magic Seas. That ship also sank, though all crew members were rescued.
The July sinkings of the Eternity C and Magic Seas ended a lull in Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which began after the Gaza war in October 2023. The Houthis claim their attacks target Israel-linked shipping in solidarity with Palestinian Arabs.
The disruption has forced many firms to avoid the Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of global trade.
As the Houthi attacks on vessels continued, the US launched strikes against the Houthis this past March, on the orders of President Donald Trump.
Trump later announced that the US would stop bombing the Houthis after the rebels communicated that they would stop attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Even though the Houthis halted their attack on US ships, they stressed that they would continue attacks on Israel and on ships linked to Israel, as they have done since the start of the conflict in Gaza.