Houthis claim they have sunk bulker Magic Seas

Source: UKMTO

The 22 crew of the 2016-built, 63,000 dwt Liberian-flag bulker Magic Seas were today reported safely rescued after an attack 51 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, by multiple small vessels that opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. The ship’s armed security team returned fire but, due to the damage sustained which caused a fire to break out on board, the crew abandoned the ship.

Media reports cite maritime risk consultancy Ambrey as saying that the ship was also attacked by four unmanned surface vehicles [USVs].

The Magic Seas was carrying iron and fertilizers from China to Turkey, and its operator, Athens based Stem Shipping received no warning of the attack, with company spokesperson Michael Bodouroglou telling Reuters that, “It struck us like lightning.”

Al Jazeera reports the Houthis as saying they had launched the attack and that the vessel had now sunk.

“Our armed forces targeted [the Magic Seas] in response to the company that owns its vessel’s repeated violations of the ban on entry into occupied Palestinian ports,” Al Jazeera reports the group as saying.

In an updated threat assessment, Ambrey notes that the Magic Seas is the first merchant vessel to be targeted in the southern Red Sea since December 2024.

Ambrey assesses Israel-affiliated vessels to remain at high risk and assesses a realistic possibility that U.S., U.K., and allied-affiliated vessels may face heightened risk during transit if their states participate in military action against the Houthis or Iran.

Other merchant shipping is assessed to be at a low risk.

EUNAVAFOR ATALANTA played a key role in enabling the safe recovery of all 22 of the Magic Silk‘s crew by establishing direct communication with the Designated Person Ashore (DPA) of the company operating a passing merchant vessel that rescued the crew.

Following the rescue, ATALANTA liaised with the Djibouti Coast Guard to ensure the smooth coordination of the crew’s disembarkation.