The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed on Thursday that three more Filipino seafarers from the attacked and sunken vessel Eternity C have been rescued in the Red Sea, bringing the total number of rescued Filipinos to eight. Thirteen remain unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts continue in waters now increasingly perilous for commercial shipping with data emerging that shows Red Sea transits have dropped significantly this week.
The Eternity C, a Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier with a 22-member Filipino crew and one Greek security officer, was attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels around midnight on July 8 while sailing towards Hodeidah. The vessel sank on July 9 following a coordinated assault involving missiles, drones, explosive-laden boats, and small arms fire.
The attack follows the sinking of another vessel, the Magic Seas, just 24 hours earlier in a similarly coordinated Houthi assault. The Houthi leadership claimed both incidents were “clear warnings” to shipping companies doing business with Israel, specifically citing Cosmoship Management, the operator of Eternity C, for previously handling vessels that called at Israeli ports.
US officials accused the Houthis of kidnapping surviving crew after the vessel sank, a claim also echoed by Greek and Liberian sources. Greek outlet Kathimerini reported that four seafarers are feared dead, including three believed to be trapped in the engine room. Fatalities have not yet been officially confirmed by the ship’s operators.
In response, the Philippine government has escalated its maritime risk protocols, directing all licensed manning agencies to reroute vessels manned by Filipino crews away from Red Sea and Gulf of Aden routes, now officially designated as warlike zones.
“The attack on the Eternity C just days after the Magic Seas sinking marks an alarming escalation,” said Ami Daniel, CEO of maritime intelligence firm Windward. “Roughly 16% of the global commercial fleet has some form of operational link to companies trading with Israel. If the Houthis now target even indirect affiliations, we’re looking at a profound new threat to global maritime trade.”
The internationally recognised Yemeni government has called on the UN Security Council to act, warning that continued attacks risk environmental disasters, humanitarian disruption, and military escalation across the region.
“These terrorist attacks pose a serious threat to maritime security and could lead to devastating environmental disasters,” Yemen’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding: “This escalation will lead to the militarization of regional waters and more destruction of Yemen’s fragile infrastructure.”
