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Middle East conflict

Attack on bulk carrier off Yemen coast leaves two dead

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, the vessel was struck by five grenades on July 7, with attacks from small speed boats continuing on July 8 until the ship was badly damaged and immobilized

LONDON, July 8. /TASS/. Two crew members were killed in an attack on the Greek-operated bulk carrier ‘Eternity C’ near Yemen’s coast, Liberia Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization Robert Wilmot Kpadeh reported.

"We received a report last evening that Eternity again has been attacked, horribly and causing the death of two seafarers," Kpadeh stated during a London-based IMO session which was streamed on its website.

Earlier, Reuters reported, citing vessel operator Cosmoship Management, that two crew members of the Liberia-flagged ship were seriously injured, with two others reported missing. The crew comprises 21 Filipino nationals and one Russian as well as armed security guards.

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, the vessel was struck by five grenades on July 7, with attacks from small speed boats continuing on July 8 until the ship was badly damaged and immobilized. The incident took place 95 km west of Yemen’s port of Hodeidah.

Reuters indicates, citing sources, that the crew was ordered to evacuate the vessel but the lifeboats had already been destroyed.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has condemned the repeat attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region, calling them a "violation of international law and freedom of navigation." "Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause. Constructive dialogue is the solution to resolving ongoing geopolitical crises affecting seafarers and international shipping," he emphasized.

Second consecutive assault

On July 6, another Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, "Magic Seas", was attacked southwest of Hodeidah by Yemen’s Houthi rebels ("Ansar Allah"). The rebel movement has conducted approximately 100 such attacks since fall 2023, targeting Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait in protest of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip.

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