A mission is under way to rescue crew from the Eternity C cargo ship which sank in the Red Sea after an attack that killed at least four crew members.

Security firms involved in the operation said four crew members and one armed guard from the vessel had been pulled from the water, where they had been for more than 24 hours.

They said they had not yet made visual contact with the rest of the 22-member crew nor two more guards who were aboard.

“We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light,” said an official at the Greek-based maritime risk management firm Diaplous.

“We aim at a peaceful operation,” the official said earlier.

Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats by Yemen-based Houthi militants, maritime security sources said.

Two security sources said on Wednesday that the vessel was attacked again on Tuesday night, forcing the crew to jump into the water.

The Iran-aligned group has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

One source said there were fears the Houthis may have kidnapped some of the crew.

The crew is made up of 21 Filipinos and one Russian. The four armed guards include one Greek national.

The Liberia-flagged vessel’s Greek operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries.

Greek government officials have been in diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, over the incident, according to sources.

Eternity C is the second vessel attacked in the Red Sea in the past week after an assault on the cargo ship MV Magic Seas, after months of calm in the region.

The deaths are the first involving attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024.

• Houthis
• Yemen
• news