The attack on the Eternity C, which also killed at least three of the crew, represents the most serious assault carried out by the Houthis in the crucial maritime trade route.

Video released by the Houthi media center shows the bulk carrier ‘Magic Seas’ being attacked and later sinking in the Iran-backed rebel group’s first attack this year on a commercial shipping vessel in the Red Sea.

The US embassy in Yemen said Wednesday that the Houthi group kidnapped the crew of a cargo ship in the Red Sea after attacking it. “After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C,” the embassy said in a statement on X.