The 19-member crew of a Greek bulk carrier severely damaged Sunday in the Red Sea by repeated attacks, most likely by Houthi fighters, is safe and will arrive in Djibouti later on Monday, the ship’s operator said.
However, the fate of the Liberian-flagged Magic Seas was unclear, with the vessel at risk of sinking, said Michael Bodouroglou, a representative of its operator Stem Shipping.
Sunday’s assault off the southwest coast of Yemen was the first such incident reported in the vital shipping corridor since mid-April. In a raid lasting more than four hours, the Magic Seas was attacked by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades from skiffs, as well as by sea drones and missiles.
The ship was carrying iron and fertilizers from China to Turkey, and Stem Shipping received no warning of the attack, Bodouroglou told Reuters.
“It struck us like lightning,” he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The Houthi rebel group’s al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said the targeted vessel met “the established Houthi target profile,” without elaborating.
The Magic Seas had made a port call to Israel in the past but the latest transit appeared low-risk as it had nothing to do with Israel, Bodouroglou said.
A passing vessel had picked up the crew members from lifeboats and would deliver them to Djibouti in the coming hours, in an operation coordinated by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), he said.
“Fortunately, we had no injuries,” Bodouroglou added.
The crew had reported fires at the vessel’s forepeak. The engine room and at least two of its holds were flooded, and electricity was cut off.
“We don’t have any further information since the crew, terrorized, abandoned the vessel,” Bodouroglou said.
The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group’s leadership has described as an effort to end Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, death to Israel, [and] a curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas-led massacre and hostage-taking in Israel that started the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually.
The group, which had said it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians, stopped firing at US ships under a May 2025 agreement, though it has continued to attack Israel directly with missiles, most recently early Monday.
Israel has struck Houthi targets in response, launching strikes on Monday for the first time in nearly a month.