The Houthis, a Yemen-based militant group backed by Iran, have escalated their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, sinking two cargo ships recently. Here's a brief overview¹:
*Recent Attacks:*
- *Magic Seas*: Sank on July 6 after being hit by Houthi drones and missiles. All 22 crew members were rescued by a passing merchant vessel. - *Eternity C*: Sank on July 9 after sustaining damage from drone and missile fire. Four sailors were killed, 10 rescued, and 11 are still missing, with some reportedly kidnapped by the Houthis.
*Houthi Motivations:*
The group's attacks aim to support Palestinians in Gaza and target vessels with links to Israel, the US, or UK. However, they've attacked ships indiscriminately, disrupting global trade.²
*Impact on Global Trade:*
- Over 100 merchant ships targeted since November 2023 - Four vessels sunk, one seized, and at least eight sailors killed - Red Sea shipping traffic declined by around 75% due to Houthi aggression - Global shipping costs increased due to rerouting around Southern Africa³ ⁴
00:00July 10th, Reuters. Yemen's Houthis sank two cargo ships in the Red Sea this week.
00:05The first flare-up in seven months in the Iran-backed group's years-long campaign
00:09to choke global shipping in protest owed a war in Gaza and the plight of the Palestinians.
00:15Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted more than 100 merchant ships traveling through the Red Sea,
00:21sinking four vessels, seizing another and killing at least eight sailors.
00:26The Liberian flag, Greek-owned Eternity Sea, sank on July 9th, 2025 after sustaining two days of drone and missile fire.
00:35Four sailors were killed in the attacks, according to maritime officials, with 10 rescued and another 11 missing.
00:42The U.S. mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping many of the missing crew members, whose fate remains unknown.
00:49Another Liberian flag, Greek-operated Bolker, the Magic Seas, sank on July 6th, 2025 after sustaining damage from gunfire, missiles, drones, and four remote-controlled explosive boats.
01:03The entire crew was evacuated to Djibouti aboard a passing merchant vessel.
01:07The Houthis' media arm soon after released a video of the strikes and subsequent storming of the ship by armed militants.
01:14The Greek-registered tanker, Sounion, carrying 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, was struck by several missiles and drones and caught fire on August 21st, 2024,
01:26triggering fears of an oil spill that could cause catastrophic environmental damage.
01:31It took months of the vessel to be declared safe and the cargo removed.
01:35The Greek-owned coal carrier Tudor sank in June 2024, days after it was struck with missiles in an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat.
01:44By Houthis near the Yemeni Portoho data, one crew member, believed they had been working in the Tudor's engine room, was never found.
01:52The rest were evacuated by military authorities and repatriated.
01:56In March 2024, a Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on the Greek-owned Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence.
02:05In the first fatalities reported, the attack set the ship ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's Port Aden.
02:12The British-owned Rubimar was struck with multiple missiles in February 2024.
02:17It sank on March 2nd, becoming the first ship struck by the Houthis to do so.
02:22The Greek-owned vessel Zulgrafia was sailing from Vietnam to Israel with 24 crew on board
02:28and was empty of cargo when attacked off the Yemeni Port Salif in January 2024.
02:34The attack caused a large hole below the waterline.
02:37Houthi commandos seized a crew in Bahamas' flag car, carrier Galaxy Leader, in international waters in November 2023.
02:45The militia only freed its 25 crew members in January 2025, more than a year after they were captured.
